Dimensional Traveler Naruto
by Jathal
Summary: Oh sure, of course I'm happy that the toads remembered my birthday... what I'm not happy about is that their damn junk lying around the mountain sent me flying into another dimension! When I get my hands on that Bunta... First stop, Fairy Tail!
1. Prologue

Well, here's a small Prologue for a story that's bouncing around in my head. This story will be published more slowly than my other one, Unpredictable Treasure Hunter, as I;d like to get that at a certain point before working on other stuff. But, I just had to write this out and share it, so, read, review, tell me what you like or hate and if there's enough interest I'll see about putting this out as well as my other story. Later all!

* * *

Naruto narrowed his gaze as he stared at the dense cloud roiling before him, the acrid smoke burning in his lungs and stinging his eyes. A grimace of pain was quickly wiped from his face as he felt blood sluggishly seeping from his wounds before the all to familiar burn of Kurama's chakra began coursing through his battered body, the powerful energy helping to heal the more severe wounds that Naruto has sustained during the long battle. Raising his arms shakingly, the undaunted shinobi formed a familiar cross hand seal and smirked as a pair of clones phased into existence, the two copies not looking any better off than their creator, the shinobi chuckling softly as the duo nodded resolutely at their creator.

'Even when it's just a clone, I guess I'm always ready for a fight,' Just as Naruto began to relax a little, hoping that he had managed to subdue the last of his opponents, a brief chill swept through the room that caused the shinobi's eyes to widen in surprise. 'Oh, son of a...'

"_Aisu Meiku:Ransu!"_ Naruto's eyes widened as dozens of sharpened spears of ice pierced the dense smoke, the trio dodging wildly before they could be skewered by the fast moving weapons. As the trio landed once more, Naruto pointed to the smoke and made a swift gesture with his hands, his clones nodding as they raced inside of the cloud of smoke, hopefully following the spears of ice towards their creator. Several moments later, a short yell of pain caused Naruto to shake his head sadly as he heard the sound of a body hitting the ground.

'Never stay put after you launch an attack, talk about sloppy... OH SHIT!' Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the smoke before him seemingly catch on fire, the flames parting and revealing an angry young man rocketing towards the wounded shinobi.

"_Karyū no Tekken!"_ Naruto gritted his teeth as he sidestepped the oncoming blow, his wounds protesting at the violent maneuvers as he faced off against the hot headed youth before him. Naruto didn't have to wait long as the rose haired young man charged in once more, the shinobi's eyes widening as he saw an opening wide enough to send Gamakichi through appear in young man's guard.

Naruto spun around the powerful right cross, his momentum bringing him behind the charging youth as Naruto slammed a glowing hand into his attacker's back, a seal rapidly spreading across the young man's clothes and sending him crashing to the ground. Naruto panted loudly as he watched the pink haired youth struggle against his Gravity Seal, his arms twitching wildly as he tried to lift his body once more. Naruto sighed as he bent forward, hands resting on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

'Wait, wasn't there one more?' Naruto's eyes widened once more as he dropped to the ground and rolled, a few locks of his hair fluttered to the ground as a wickedly sharp blade tried to take his head off. Naruto rolled to the side quickly as another sword sank into the charred wood where his head had been resting, the shinobi gulping at the close call.

'Well shit, looks like someone decided to stop playing.' Naruto leaped to his feet, his eyes widening as he watched a pair of silver swords spin around in an intricate dance before their wielder, the young girl lashing out with pin point attacks that, at first, appeared to be designed to cripple Naruto's limbs. But, after several moments of dodging, Naruto realized that he was being herded towards a corner of the room, a tactic that you young red head was using in an effort to box him in.

'Heh, nice try but I'm not the most unpredictable ninja for nothing!' Naruto ducked unto another vicious slash and slammed both of his hands into the ground, a small twister of wind enhanced chakra sending debris and smoke flying around him, covering both of the combatants in a shroud of smoke. Naruto grinned as he finally remembered he had a pair of goggles in his pouch, the young man pulling the items over his head and smiling as he managed to make out the shape of his opponent while she tried to escape from the acrid smoke. Naruto grinned once more as he used shunshin to get behind his opponent, grabbed the woman in a full nelson, and sighed in relief as her swords clanged loudly as they hit the ground. Naruto gritted his teeth as the girl screamed and thrashed against him, demanding that he let her go.

Several moments passed before the young woman finally stilled, her defiance having petered out as she remained trapped in the arms of her opponent. Naruto tightened his grip slightly and was rewarded with a whimper, a sign that the young woman was giving up.

"Finally. Now, where the hell am I and why the hell did you attack me?!" Naruto held in his laughter as the redhead in his grasp growled loudly, her struggles returning as she tried to break free from her captor's iron grip. 'Look, I can keep this up all day, just answer my questions and I'll let you go." Naruto slowly smiled as the violently thrashing woman slowly stilled, her muscles relaxing and her head bowing in defeat.

"All right, you are currently in Magnolia, home to the Mage Guild Fairy Tail. And as to why we attacked you, you attacked one of our nakama, were we just supposed to let that slide? Our family looks out for each other!" Naruto sighed as he dropped the girl in his arms, the shinobi stepping back as you young woman slowly stood and faced him.

"Where the fuck is Magnolia?"

Flashback – Two hours earlier

As the noonday sun shone down on Mount Myozabanku, the toads were enjoying a peaceful fall day as they celebrated the birth of their greatest summoner to date, the young man that has won the 4th Shinobi war for the Alliance and had saved the work from eternal slavery under a delusional madman.

"Kici! More sake!" Gamakichi sighed as he slowly sipped from his sake dish, watching as his father and Naruto appeared to be participating in some kind of drinking game, the pair laughing uproariously before Naruto seemed to quite down once more.

'Well, it looks like a game... sorta. Probably more accurate to say dad is trying to kill Naruto via alcohol poisoning. Who knew someone so small could knock back so much sake?'

Naruto had never been this drunk in his entire life. And it wasn't the kind of drunk where you'd start thinking, 'Oh, I'm a little buzzed and I feel good' . Oh no, this was a 'Look at the awesome flying pink elephants!' kind of drunk. It was two years after the 4th Shinobi War and Naruto was celebrating his eighteenth birthday with the toads on Mt. Myozabanku. Everything was going well, until Gamabunta brought out the special Mount Myozabanku Fire Sake that was only brewed on the summons mountain. Needless to say, the party quickly degenerated into a drunken celebration and it was one of the only times Naruto could recently remember where he actually let his guard down and enjoyed his free time. Ever since the defeat of Tobi and Madara, Naruto had been saddled with the title of the Nidaime Rikudō Sennin, a title that carried a heavy burden...

Naruto slowly sipped the sake in his hand as he remembered the day that he had been forced to leave his home behind, all of the villages feeling that he was too powerful to be part of the existing ninja system. All of his friends had gathered at the gate, everyone of them wanting to give their savior a proper send off. Naruto smiled sadly as he remembered the numerous hugs and tears from people he had come to consider family, a sigh working it's way past the jinchūriki's lips as he chugged the last of his sake. Standing up slowly, Naruto swayed drunkenly as he walked towards the clay pot before him, intent on getting completely smashed today so he could drown out the sad memories. But just as he reached the vessel, it rose in the air as Gamabunta took a healthy swig of the powerful alcohol, the boss summon letting out a self satisfied belch as he dropped the empty pot to the ground.

"Damn ya Bunta! I wash tryin ta drink that!" Naruto's bleary eyes focused on the empty vessel as he listened to the boisterous laughs of the massive summon, an idea for a prank quickly forming in the blondes sake addled mind. Naruto closed his eyes, focusing on collecting Nature chakra, the process having become as easy as breathing for the blonde as he slipped into Sennin Modo without a thought. Hefting the clay pot, Naruto flung the heavy item at the laughing Bunta, the summon never seeing the incoming missile until it was too late.

"You snooze you... KISAMA!" Bunta slapped one of his webbed hands over his sore cheek, the boss level summon growling lowly as he listened to Naruto laughing loudly. Leaning forward, Bunta glared blearily at a laughing Naruto, the summons ire rose as he lashed out at Naruto and sent him flying across the mountain. Many of the toads laughed at the spectacle of an overly violent drunk Bunta, most of them were glad it wasn't them that had set him off this time. As Naruto rolled along the ground, his back slammed against something very large and very solid, the blonde groaning as he rose to his feet. Looking up, Naruto blinked as bleary eyes studied the item that he had hit.

"I musht of hit m'head... I think I'm sheein a huuuge shtone ar...ar... thingy in the ground..." Naruto laughed as he fell on his ass, looking curiously at the item before him.

"Naruto-chan, you are seeing a large stone arch in the ground. It's been here since we have lived on this mountain, but even we have no idea what it does." Naruto squinted as he turned around, a grin splitting his face as he saw Fukasaku, the blonde giggling madly as he pointed the currently sober Toad elder.

"PA! Give me more sake... or shomething I can hit Bunta with, damned bashtard blindshided me..." Naruto looked up, his eyes blinking owlishly as he stared at the frowning face of Gamabunta. Another powerful bitch slap sent Naruto hurtling towards the large stone archway, the plastered shinobi growling in anger as he flew through the air. But just as the blonde passed through the archway, something unexpected happened. A blast of natural energy flung Fukasaku and Bunta away from the monument, the pair watching in shock as a glowing tunnel formed in the center of the archway, a tunnel that Naruto passed through due to his uncontrolled flight through the air. As soon as the blonde disappeared through the portal of light, the passage collapsed, causing both Bunta and Fukasaku to look at the now inactive stone structure in shock. Fukasaku glared at the drunk Toad boss and sighed.

"Dammit, that's never happened before. But congratulations, Bunta, you've just volunteered to tell Ma what happened to Naruto-chan. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be very understanding when you explain what caused our summoner to disappear like that."

* * *

Naruto closed his eyes as soon as he passed through the portal, the various flashing colors causing the blonde to groan and hold his roiling stomach. After several moments Naruto hit the ground, rolling to a stop against a large set of stone doors. Groaning softly, Naruto staggered to his feet and slowly stood, his bleary eyes trying to focus on where he was. All he could see was a blinding light that surrounded him, a situation that didn't mix well with his current inebriation. Pushing against the stone doors, Naruto growled loudly and heaved, his enhanced strength throwing one of the doors wide opening, the sudden departure of the door causing the blonde to fall flat on his face and groan loudly.

"Nevah again... nevah gonna drink again..." Naruto looked ahead of him and was surprised to see a tall set of stairs that apparently led to a door way out of this building he was stuck in. As the plastered shinobi dragged himself to his feet again he staggered up the stairs, placing his hand against the wall to balance himself until he finally reached the top of the stairs. A large wooden door barred his path, the portal apparently barred from the other side as it refused to budge for Naruto. One wind chakra coated fist later and the door exploded, fragments of it sailing across the large room Naruto found himself in.

As Naruto stumbled into the new room, his eyes swung back and forth as he looked at all the shocked people that were staring at him. 'Whassamatta, nevah sheen a drunk man before? Buncha pusshies... wait, ish your hair'sh pink? HAH! Jusht like a girl!" Naruto closed his eyes and laughed loudly as he pointed at the young man before him, his senses being so addled that he didn't even notice the fist rushing towards his face. Moments later Naruto painfully hit the ground, the blonde's eyes slowly opening as he stared blankly at the ceiling above him. Reaching up slowly, Naruto dabbed at his nose, his hand moving in front of his face, the blonde growling as he saw his blood now coating his fingers. Rolling over on his stomach, Naruto's eyes closed as he dove into his mindscape, the blonde growling as he kicked a sleeping Kurama in the ass, causing the Biju to awaken with a start.

"Dammit kid, I was sleepin... what the hell happened to you?" Naruto dabbed at his nose again, scoffing as he wiped the blood off of his face.

"I need you to burn the alcohol out of my system now, someone deserves an ass whupping!" Kurama grinned evilly as his potent chakra flooded Naruto's coils, the alcohol quickly burning off as the potent chakra from Kurama filled the jinchūriki with his power. As Naruto's consciousness exited the seal, the young man rose to his feet, cracked his neck while looking at all of the people before him with a feral grin. "Now, time to play."

End flashback

"Did you really think I wouldn't beat the shit out of pinky here when he decked me? I can see you're all fighters, he should have expected it! And it's alla your faults for jumping in, it was his fight!" Erza growled as she gestured at the dozens of fallen mages around her.

"And what about them? Did they deserve it too? HUH!?" Naruto sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck and pointed at the angry woman before him.

"Oh come on, I just used a simple poison to put them to sleep, they'll be fine in an hour! Well, they'll have a massive headache, but that's besides the point! I still have no idea..." Naruto's tirade was cut off as a massive shadow began to fall towards him, the blonde looking up with wide eyes as a very tall man leaped towards him, his arm glowing brightly as it changed into a well muscled steel arm. The blow caught Naruto flat footed, the blonde slamming into the far wall of the building and crying out as the barrier fell on top of him, burying the blonde in rubble. Erza slowly turned towards the new arrivals and shook her head in exasperation as she watched Mirajane and Lisanna run up beside their brother, standing tall and flashing the stunned swordswoman a shit eating grin.

"What are you three doing?! I was talking him down!"

"Sure you were, you clanky bitch, that riff raff attacked our nakama and he got what he deserved! No one gets up after... a hit... oh no." Erza spun around and watched in fascination as the pile of rubble began to move when a blast of powerful wind sent the destroyed wall careening towards the four remaining conscious members of Fairy Tail.

A large section of the wall hit Elfman in the head, knocking the young man out of the fight and causing Lisanna to crouch over her brother. Just as the youngest Strauss sibling reached to touch the wound on her brother's head, a blurred form appeared behind her and the young girl suddenly slumped on top of her brother, snoring lightly as if she had fallen asleep. Mirajane screamed in anger as she fired of several Evil Sparks, but the blurred shape of the young man continued to dance around her hurried blasts of energy, his face appearing after each dodge and smirking at the furious woman.

"DAMN YOU! STAND STILL AND TAKE IT LIKE A MAN!" Erza's eyes widened as she watched Naruto appear behind Mirajane, the young woman about to call out a warning when she realized who she was about to save. Naruto gave the angry young woman a firm slap on her ass, causing Mira to screech as sh spun around, her hand covering her ass in case he tried that again "PERVERT!"

Naruto chuckled as he glanced at Erza from the corner of his eye, making sure that Mira wasn't about to charge him. "What happened to 'Family looks out for each other'?"

"Heh, that midriff baring bitch dug her own hole, she can climb out of it herself." Naruto blinked rapidly as he looked at the two growling women, both of them racing towards each other as they started the mother of all cat fights.

"Ok, now I'm lost, are you family or enemies? Not that there's much of a difference between the two sometimes..."

"MY GUILD HALL! NOOOOO!" Three sets of eyes spun around and Naruto looked down at the shortest old man he had ever seen, an old man that was on his knees and bawling like a baby. As the two young woman stopped fighting and stared at Naruto expectantly, the blonde shinobi chuckled nervously as he raised a hand in greeting.

"Heheh, sorry bout this, your guild members bit off a little more than they could chew. Sorry about the mess, I think it's time for me to go..." Naruto's voice trailed off as a large sword suddenly rested on his shoulder, it's sharp edge resting dangerously against his neck. Seconds later a scaly hand rested it's sharpened claws on the other side of Naruto's neck, the blonde swallowing loudly as he looked back at the old man.

"On second thought, how about we have a little chat?"


	2. Chapter 1

So, I got some nice reviews from such a small prologue I decided to write the next chapter right away! Keep'em coming, more reviews means more desire to write! This chapter bounces around a bit, from the start of the canon Manga to the time when Naruto arrived in Fairy Tail. Naruto's arrival in Fiore occurs 1 year before Team Take Over go after the Beast.

* * *

As the sun slowly began it's ascent in the warm summer sky, a tall figure yawned loudly as he stretched his arms over his head, a satisfied groan escaping his mouth as he continued on his trek. Glancing upwards, the young man closed his eyes as he breathed deeply, the smell of the wildlife that surrounded him causing him to smile softly. Some time later, the young man paused on the road he was following, a canteen appearing in his hand as he drank it's contents. Lowering the canteen, Naruto grinned tiredly as his gaze was filled by the town before him, the waking residents already milling about as they began their daily routines. Naruto's sky blue eyes watched the people as they greeted their friends and loved ones, a chuckle passing the man's lips as he ran a hand through his blonde hair, his fingers trailing over the metal plate that adorned his forehead as he grinned ruefully.

'Heh, there's no place like home.'

Chapter 1

Magnolia Town was a bustling city, one filled with both the young and old, rich and poor, but the true highlight of the city was the large building that skirted the edge of town. The occupants of the building, a constant topic of the normal daily chatter that occurred across town, were famous across the entire continent for one reason. This building was the hall of the top mage guild in all of Fiore, Fairy Tail. Many of the citizens idolized the brave mages, their conversations normally mentioning at least one of them daily... and more often if a member had a particularly insane mission.

"Didja hear? Natsu destroyed the Port in Hargeon Town! Insane, absolutely insane!" The market district was beginning to fill up, the vendors discussing current events before the daily grind forced them to compete with each other to sell their wares.

"Yeah, but did you hear about the monster that Erza-san was hired to kill? I almost feel sorry for the monster!" A round of laughter continued among the adults milling around the market until a large blonde haired man was seen walking through the main gate of the city. Several of the towns folk grinned widely as they waved at the man, several cheers starting as the youth rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Naruto-san! You're back! How was your mission?" Uzumaki Naruto yawned loudly, his heavy pack dropping to the ground as he lightly scratched a cheek.

"Nothing too serious, but I'm wiped out. As much as I'd like to stay her and chat, I'm heading over to the guild for a drink and then back home for a nap. I'll see you all later, thanks for the welcome back home!" Naruto grinned as he saw several children run towards him, the shinobi ruffling their hair as he passed them by before waving goodbye as he made his way towards the Guild Hall. Several of the adults shook their head as they watched the young man calmly stroll towards his destination, the words that he had spoken causing one of the women to grin widely.

"Heh, nothing too serious he says. Only Naruto-san, that man is too humble for his own good. After all, he's not know as the Kage of Fairy Tail because of his good looks."

* * *

The inside of the Fairy Tail Guild Hall was a gathering place not only for mages, but people that saw each other as family and the hall as their home. Various groups gathered around the multitude of tables, partners and teams trading stories and jokes as they drank to their hearts content while others worked on various projects and interests that had caught their attention. And through it all, a beautiful young woman wove her way towards each group, their lecherous glances not bothering a single wit as she deftly sidestepped each invitation that was extended to her as she performed her job to perfection. The young woman smiled brightly as she deposited her final order, her beaming smile causing the men at the table to blush as she sauntered away, her swaying backside leaving the group speechless as the waitress returned to the bar once more.

Mirajane sighed as she rested her tray on the bar, the young beauty taking a deep breath as she looked over her fellow guild members as they continued to carouse throughout the room, their glee spreading to everyone around them as they continued to revel in their high spirits. 'We're only missing one thing to make this scene perfect... just when is that baka coming home?'

Just as Mira was about to circle around the bar and sit for a spell, the front door of the guild opened and Mira's eyes widened as they landed on the new arrival, the the metal forehead protector emblazoned with the symbol of Fairy Tail leaving no doubt in Mira's mind of the man's identity. Mira's intent gaze took in the sight before her, quickly checking to see if the man before her was injured in any way. Finally assured that he appeared to be hale and hearty, a wide smile appeared on Mira's lips as she raised her arm and waved excitedly as she yelled the man's name.

"NARUTO!"

Every conversation came to a screeching halt as Naruto's name was called, the entire guild hall turning as one to see the recently arrived shinobi, his hand raised in greeting. "Yo, I'm back everyone." Naruto laughed aloud at the loud cheer that welcomed him home, several guild members walking forward and slapping the man on his back as they celebrated the return of one of their members. Naruto smiled as he caught up with several of his friends in the guild, but after a few moments the shinobi's attention was once more drawn to the expectant gaze of the woman that had seen him first.

Naruto laughed as he slowly pulled away from his well wishers, the blonde making his way towards the bar. Naruto's eyes focused on the shy smile Mirajane was sporting as she watched Naruto slowly draw closer towards her, a faint blush staining her cheeks as she nervously smoothed her dress. As Naruto passed several of his fellow guild members, his ears picked up snippets of several muffled conversations, his enhanced hearing picking up on the familiar topics that were brought up once he had entered the building.

"No wonder she keeps rejecting me, look at how she's staring at Naruto! Lucky bastard."

"Do you think they'll get a clue and finally get together this time?"

"Nah, I bet you a thousand jewels that blondie is still oblivious to how Mira-chan feels."

Hiding a grin as he neared the elated young woman, Naruto braced himself as Mira ran forward and wrapped the blonde in a bone crushing hug, burying her face in his chest as Naruto's arms encircled her waist. Naruto grinned as he ran his hand gently up and down Mira's back, a muffled giggle her only response.

"So," Mira's muffled voice rose from her position against Naruto's chest. "Are you back for a while now?" Naruto grunted softly, the shinobi grinning as he felt Mira's arms tightening around him for a moment before she stepped back. "Good, it's been too long since you came home. No more accepting missions from the council, you got that?" Naruto raised his hands in front of him, a weak smile his only response as he backed away from the insistent young woman.

"Come on Mira, they were in a bind, they needed someone with my... 'skills'. Besides, they said that I wouldn't be called upon for another mission for at least another year, maybe even more." Naruto watched the woman before him as her narrowed gaze studied him, the blonde sweating a little at the scrutiny. After several moments Mira nodded her head resolutely and stepped behind the bar once more, her hands moving deftly as she prepared a drink for the returning shinobi. Sliding the finished creation towards him, Naruto raised the glass to his lips and drank slowly, savoring the taste while he continued to stare at Mira.

"What?" Naruto laughed as he peered over the edge of his mug, his expressive eyes never straying from the woman before him. As Mira began to blush from Naruto's scrutiny the shinobi slowly lowered his glass and rested his elbows on the bar as he leaned close, an action mirrored by Mira.

"Not much, just remembering the day I crashed into this place. I seem to remember a young white haired girl getting ready to kill me for some reason... I think it was because I had the balls to spank her in the middle of a fight." Naruto grinned as he watched Mira's blush darken, the barmaid clenching her hands as she mock glared at the man before her.

"I never did get you back for that, you still owe me." Naruto laughed loudly as he reminisced about that day once more.

Flashback – 3 years ago

"A CHAT? A CHAT?! How about you apologize for smacking my ass! Freaking pervert, I should gut you like a fish!" Naruto lazily looked over at the fuming woman, his bored expression causing the young girl to growl loudly as her hair began floating around her like an aura while sparks of dark energy arced along her body.

"Yes," Naruto said. "A chat. Also, I think you better move those claws, someone could get hurt badly if you don't." As Naruto finished speaking, he relaxed his iron grip on his killing intent, the potent aura seeping out and causing the temperature of the room to drop drastically.

Naruto watched the young woman's eyes widen as she involuntarily took a step away from him, her clawed hand shaking slightly as her breathing became ragged. Looking over his other shoulder, Naruto glared at his other attacker as she slowly shook her head, her sword shakingly pulling away from the blonde's neck and vanishing in a burst of light. Naruto closed his eyes as he clamped down on his aura once more, his normal grin returning as he focused on the old man before him.

"Sorry about that Jiji, names Uzumaki Naruto. Shinobi extraordinaire and all around 'Prankster from Hell'. Now," Naruto said, his gaze slowly scanning the faces of the three people before him. "Can anyone tell me how the hell I got here?"

* * *

Makarov was sitting crossed legged on the bar, a mug of beer raised to his lips as he studied the young man before him before slowly drinking from the glass. Setting the mug on the counter, Makarov let out a sigh as he narrowed his gaze once more at the blonde before him.

"So let me get this straight," Makarov said, his incredulous expression growing as he continued to speak. "You were in the middle of a celebration of your birthday, an event that was being celebrated by... Giant toads." At Naruto's happy nod, Makarov rubbed his chin before he continued.

"And one of these giant toads was a mean bastard of a drunk, slapping you across the mountain before he finally sent you flying through some type of artifact that no one knew how to operate, correct?" Naruto nodded rapidly once more, the action causing Makarov to smile slightly at the energetic young man before him.

"And after you disappeared through some kind of portal, you wound up in the lower levels of the guild, breaking through a magically sealed room and it's secure door, and finally proceeded to bust up my guild hall?" Naruto laughed as he nodded, his face disappearing behind a mug as he took another swig of the beer he had been given, the entire time Makarov's calculating eyes studied the young man before him as he considered what he had been told. Several moment passed before Makarov softly began to snigger, the action causing Naruto's eyebrows to rise in surprise as he lowered his mug to watch the small mage before him. Makarov's snigger continued to grow in volume until it became a giggle, before finally transforming into a full blown belly laugh as the Guild master began to slap his open palm against the bar. Raising his mug once more, Makarov sighed as he shook his head. "Oh, I wish I hadn't missed that! Why do all the good fights happen when I'm not here?"

"MASTER! He knocked everyone out and seriously hurt Natsu and Gray!" Naruto rested his elbow on the bar, his deadpan expression causing Erza's mouth to quickly snap shut.

"Oi, Pinky and Frosty both earned it," Naruto said, a serious expression appearing on his face as he lectured the young woman before him. "They were the ones that started the whole fiasco. I was perfectly fine to use my taijutsu against them but their were the ones that escalated it when they used their magic. The others were knocked out for their own protection, I didn't want them getting caught up in the cross fire." Erza growled as she folded her arms over her chest, the red head turning away as she stormed out of the guild, Makarov sighing as he shook his head slowly. Naruto then spun around, a teasing grin on his face as he poke Mirajane in the shoulder. "And do you have anything you'd like to complain about, Shiro*?" (*Whitey)

Mirajane glared at the shinobi beside her before turning away, her chin rising in the air as she ignored the blonde at the bar. Makarov sighed softly as Naruto turned back towards him, the blonde shrugging helplessly. "I see you have a way with the ladies, Naruto-san." Makarov grinned at a sniggering Naruto, the blonde shaking his head as he took another gulp of his beer.

"Oh yeah," Naruto said, a condescending grin appearing on his lips as he turned back towards Makarov. "I got them eating out of my hand, they're even willing to gut me like a fish and pound me into a smear on the floor. What else could a man ask for?" Naruto sighed as he put his mug down, his expression turning melancholy as he closed his eyes. "It's been two years since I've had any extended contact with people, all because of what I carry inside of me and who I am. My own friends and comrades were forced to banish me, rather than start a conflict that would have decimated our village. Every once in a while I would see a friend as they performed their missions, each time I was greeted politely but soon I was alone once more, my journey never ending as I continued to wander the world."

Makarov placed his mug on the counter top once more, his expression serious as he placed his hands on his knees. "So, you had no place to call home and now you have no idea how to return there, that is if you even wanted to." Naruto nodded sadly as he drained his glass, the blonde sighing as he rested his forehead against the bar.

"You should join Fairy Tail." Naruto raised his head, his eyes blinking rapidly as he and Makarov both looked at the blushing face of Mirajane in surprise. "I mean... I c-couldn't be bothered to care what a pervert like yourself would do! But... but if you wanted a family and friends, you could join Fairy Tail!" As Mira ran off towards her still unconscious siblings, Naruto looked at a grinning Makarov and sighed, a grin forming slowly on his face.

"Well, who can argue with that logic?"

End flashback

Naruto grinned as he remembered how nervous Mirajane was when she suggested the shinobi join Fairy Tail, the young woman appeared so confident now after only three years had passed. As Naruto raised his glass to his lips once more, the blonde enjoying the view as Mira turned away and began washing several dishes, the doors to the guild were violently kicked in and an energetic pink haired man entering the building, screaming loudly as to announce his presence. Naruto sighed as his head drooped, Mira's delicate hand resting in his blonde locks as she ruffled the shinobi's hair gently.

"You know he nearly worships the ground you walk on, right?" As Naruto looked up, he nodded tiredly, his hands tapping softly against the glass mug he held between them. Mira gave the tired shinobi a beautiful smile before she walked around the bar, heading towards the rowdy new arrival. "Natsu, welcome home!"

As the Fire Dragon Slayer turned towards Mira, his eyes widened as he pointed dramatically at the bar, flames spewing from his mouth as his excitement overrode the small amount of common seance the young man possessed.

"NARUTO! FIGHT ME!" Natsu roared excitedly as he rushed forward, sidestepping Mira as she shook her head in exasperation. Naruto sighed as he spun around in his bar stool, the blonde resting against the bar as he lazily observed the charging Dragon slayer.

"Natsu, watch out for the seal trap." Natsu's ecstatic expression instantly morphed into one of confusion as he glanced towards the floor, a loud squawk of indignation as the clueless dragon slayer stepped on a glowing seal, it's presence having been missed as it had been activated recently. Naruto smirked as he watched the youth growl when he was slammed into the ground, the gravity seal stopping his headlong rush towards the tired shinobi.

"I just got back from an extended mission," Naruto said, a loud yawn interrupting him as he stared at the struggling youth. "We can spar later but for now I am completely tapped out." Natsu growled as he slowly pushed himself off of the ground, the shinobi's eyebrows rising in surprise as the dragon slayer slowly started towards him once more.

"I'm not letting one of these stop me this time! I'm going to take you down today!" But before Natsu could take another step, a cold chill ran down his spine, the normally blazing Dragon Slayer feeling as if his entire body had been dunked in ice. Glancing over his shoulder, Natsu's face paled as he saw a shadowy aura surrounding the normally cheerful Mirajane, the barmaid approaching the frozen young man while one of her hands held a slowly forming spark of energy.

"Natsu, go play with the others," Mirajane said, her extremely sweet tone of voice belying her obvious anger. "Naruto is off limits for the time being. I'll let you know when you can play with him again." Mira smiled brightly as Natsu nodded woodenly, the young man falling over in shock as the gravity seal released it's hold on him. Looking around at the other members, Natsu growled as he spotted Krov, the impetuous Dragon Slayer jumping to his feet and racing towards his unsuspecting target. Moments later, Naruto shook his head as he watched the all too common brawl occur once more, fortunately this time the participants were keeping him out of it.

"Some things never change," Mira said while she watched the brawl continue to grow until the entire guild was caught up in the fight. "Do they?"

Naruto shook his head as he looked towards the doorway, seeing an unfamiliar young woman that was staring in shock at the bar room brawl taking place right before her eyes.

"Oi, new girl! Over here!"

* * *

Lucy's eyes widened as she pulled her luggage after herself, her companions stopping before a large building as they turned towards her. Natsu grinned as he jerked his head towards the guild. "Here it is, Fairy Tail."

As the pair entered the building, Lucy's gaze took in the numerous mages before her, the sounds of revelry causing a smile to form rapidly as she got her first look at the greatest guild in all of Fiore. Just as Lucy was about to walk forward, a loud yell beside her caused the young woman to squeak in surprise as she watched Natsu race towards the bar.

"NARUTO! FIGHT ME!" Lucy blinked as she folded her arms under her breasts, the name Naruto bouncing around her head for a few moments.

'That's strange, I was sure I knew the names of all the members of Fairy Tail... maybe he's a new member?' as Lucy looked towards the bar, the Stellar Spirit Mage's eyes widened in shock as she saw Natsu fall to the ground, the powerful young man struggling against an unseen force as he tried to reached his final destination. Looking towards the bar, a frown appeared as she failed to recognize the man before her. Lucy nearly squealed as she recognized Mirajane when she came over and spoke to Natsu, the young woman causing the fire mage to pale significantly before he fell over.

As Lucy watched the action unfolding before her, her expression quickly changed from contemplative to shock as she watched Natsu rise once more and attack a fellow guild member, an action that set off a battle royal that soon enveloped the entire guild.

'They're insane," Lucy said, the mage ducking under a thrown table as she continued to watch the fight in shock. "All of them! Isn't there someone here that's normal?"

"Oi, new girl! Over here!" Lucy turned towards the bar, seeing the same blonde man from before waving her over. And beside him was...

"Mirajane?! Oh wow, I get to meet Mirajane!" Lucy happily skipped towards the bar, her smile having returned completely as she stood before one of her idols. But just as Lucy arrived at the bar, she pointed at the fight behind her in worry. "Shouldn't we stop them?"

Mira closed her eyes as she smiled, her head slowly shaking back and forth. "Oh no, this happens all the time! Besides," Mira said, never noticing a bottle of booze that had been thrown towards her. Her expression never wavered as the blonde at the bar snagged the bottle out of the air, the young man rapidly flinging the projectile back towards the brawl. "If it gets too serious I can have Naruto here stop them!"

Lucy watched in shock as the returned bottle smashed into a guild member's nose, the man holding the broken protrusion while focusing his glare towards the bar. Lucy shivered as she felt a cold presence suddenly appear, the glaring man in the brawl falling flat on his ass as he began to shake like a leaf in the wind.

"Naruto! Stop that, your scaring the new girl!" Lucy looked back in shock at the now standing blonde haired man, seeing a icy glare aimed at the guild member with a broken nose. Sighing softly, Naruto sat back down and the chill finally lifted, Lucy taking a shaky breath as she sat on a bar stool.

Just as the fight appeared that it was going to escalate, the mages involved all deciding it was time to bring magic into the battle, a shadowy foot slammed into the ground, causing the entire guild to freeze in fear. "CUT IT OUT YOU FOOLS!"

Lucy's eyes glanced up... and up and wayyy up as she choked down a scream of panic. "HE'S HUMONGOUS!"

"Master! So," Mirajane said. "You were here after all!" Lucy's jaw dropped as she looked at the apparent master of Fairy Tail. Lucy's surprise changed to awe as she then saw every brawler before her back away from their opponents, many of them grumbling as they turned towards their Master... well, that is, all of them except Natsu.

"HAH! You all got scared! This match is my win... GAHHH!" Lucy watched in morbid fascination as the guild master before her raised a massive foot and stomped on the loud mouthed fire mage, silencing his victory speech. Lucy's loud "epp!"echoed through the now silent guild as she watched the massive man turn his gaze towards her.

"A newcomer, eh?" Lucy's jaw dropped as the shadowed being before her began emitting powerful magic, the stellar spirit mage sweating as she waited to see what her fate would be. Moments later, Lucy's fear swiftly changed to surprise as the shadowy man rapidly shrunk, a short old man now standing before her. "Nice to meet you. The name's Makarov, welcome to Fairy Tail."

Before Lucy could respond, the old man leaped towards the second floor, his body spinning rapidly as he... slammed the back of his head into the railing, his pain filled groan causing the entire guild to cringe. Makarov clung to the railing and slowly pulled himself on top of it, the old man standing at his full three foot height. As the guild master raised his hand, a large sheaf of papers appeared as he looked at the people below him, his firm gaze causing the assembled mages to nervously fidget. "You've done it again you fools!" Makarov said, the old man shaking his head as he motioned at the papers he held. "Look at the documents I've received from the council!"

Meanwhile, with Naruto

Naruto grinned as he looked over at Mira, his hands clasped before him in a classic pose of begging. "Please, please can I do it? It's the perfect opportunity!" Mira let out a soft hum, placing a delicate finger on her cheek as she considered the request.

"Well, I think you're right, it is the perfect opportunity! I give you full permission!" Naruto grinned as he rubbed his hands together, his expression gleeful as he turned back towards Makarov, an expression that caused Lucy to gulp.

'Just what is he up to?'

Back with Makarov

"...Burning down a church in Freesia, damaging parts of Lupinus Castle, Nazune Ravine's Observatory collapsed and they had suspend their operations! And now you blew up half of Hargeon's Port! Natsu! Why can't you be more like Naruto! All of you can learn from him, he never blows anything up!" As Makarov turned towards the mentioned guild member, his eyes widened at what he saw. "Naruto... what are all those piles of paper around you?"

Naruto grinned evilly as he pulled the top sheet off of the closest pile, the blond clearing his throat as he began reading the document. "Warehouse District of Crocus, destroyed. Main Port in Cedar, destroyed. Half of Oak Town castle, destroyed during an inter-guild battle... oh yeah, I remember that fight, the council was not happy about that one!" Naruto glanced up at Makarov, an innocent smile gracing his features as the guild leader pointed down at him in anger.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE! I'VE NEVER HEARD OF ANY OF THOSE INCIDENTS BEFORE... YOU! No, no you didn't..." Naruto's grin became very fox like as he nodded happily.

"Yep yep! I stole them all before you could read them! Every sheet here is a list of the stuff I've destroyed!" Naruto watched as Makarov growled, his face slowly turning red before he sighed, the anger bleeding out of him as he glared at the blonde below him.

"Well played Naruto," Makarov said loudly. "You win this round." Makarov grinned as he looked down at the other members, one of his hands gesturing towards the grinning blonde below him.

"Naruto understands that each and everyone of us is responsible for our own actions. The council seeks to control us, use us and hold us back. Forget what they say and do what you think is right, that is the way a Fairy Tail mage should be!" Naruto grinned as he watched his fellow members cheer loudly, the blondes head shaking as he resealed the stacks of blank paper surrounding him.

Later...

Lucy grinned excitedly as Mirajane placed Fairy Tail's guild stamp on the back of her hand, the magical item leaving an imprint of the guild mark in a pale pink color. Looking up at her idol, Lucy's expression became smug as she noticed Mira glancing over at a napping Naruto, the blonde's head laying against the bar as the other members of Fairy Tail gave the sleeping man a wide berth.

"So, Mira," Lucy said, her smug grin growing as she saw the barmaid blush lightly. "Are you and Naruto... you know?" Raising her pinky finger, Mira shook her head quickly as she covered her now burning cheeks.

"No. you got it all wrong! We're just close, we've been through a lot together." Mira glared at the blonde girl, watching Lucy intently as she crossed her arms under her large breasts. A smug expression appeared on Lucy's face as she turned towards the sleeping shinobi.

"So, if he's free, that means that I could..."

"NO!" Lucy turned back towards Mirajane, the older mage's look of shock sealing the deal for you young girl.

"AH HAH! You do...!" Lucy's victorious shout was cut off as Mira slapped her hands over the loud blondes mouth, glaring at the girl until she stopped talking.

"Not a word to Naruto," Mira said quietly. "Otherwise, they'll never find the body." Lucy's eyes widened in shock but before she could say another word a high pitched voice spoke up beside the shocked young woman.

"Is my Daddy back yet?" Lucy looked beside her and saw a young boy looking up at Makarov, the guild leader sitting atop the bar as he swallowed a mouthful of beer.

"Romeo, you're really starting to annoy me. You're the son of a mage, trust in your father and wait for him at home like a good boy should." Several people began to speak of the job Romeo's father, Macao, had take on Mount Hakobe. As Romeo pleaded that someone go look for his father, Makarov took a large gulp of his beer before slamming the mug onto the bar.

"No way! Your dad's a mage, he can take care of himself! Go home and drink milk or something!" Lucy's eyes widened as she watched Romeo leap forward, his fist lashing out as he punched Makarov in the nose before her turned and ran away, his tears falling to the ground as he left the guild.

As Lucy turned back towards Mira, a loud crunching sound caused her to turn towards the request board, the young woman's eyes widening when she saw a request embedded in a newly formed crack on the board. Lucy watched as a silent Natsu walked away from the request board, the fire mage reaching for his pack as he turned towards the entrance. Just as he left, Naruto rose from his stool and reached for his pack, pulling a long sleeved red jacket over his shoulders, the flame trimmed garment causing Lucy's gaze to narrow.

"Shouldn't we stop them master? They're just going to be trampling on Macao's pride of they rescue him." Lucy looked towards the person that spoke, seeing a large tanned man dressed in a set of tribal clothing. Lucy looked towards Master Makarov, as the old man calmly smoked a pipe between gulping down his beer.

"Of course you can Nab, go right ahead, try and stop Naruto and Natsu from leaving." When the tanned man continued standing by the request board, Makarov smirked after removing his pipe from his lips. "Yeah, I didn't think you would. Just let them go, this is their choice."

'Where have I seen that coat before? It looks so familiar...' Lucy watched as Naruto glanced towards Mirajane, the barmaid nodding as the tall blonde walked out of the guild hall as well. After the blonde left the building, Lucy turned back towards Mira, her hand grasping the drink before her.

"What happened to those two?" Mira stopped polishing a glass as she looked at Lucy, a sad expression causing the stellar spirit mage to wonder if she wanted to know the answer to her question.

"Natsu... Natsu lost his only parent, he woke up one day and he was gone. He learned everything from his foster parent, even his magic, and he loved him very much. He still misses Igneel to this day. Naruto... he never had the opportunity to know his mother or father, he's an orphan." Lucy's eyes fell towards her drink, the young woman thinking of what she had just learned as Mira continued to speak.

"Neither of them want Romeo to go through what they did, at least that's what I think is happening." Mira rested her elbows on the bar, a melancholy expression appearing as she continued speaking. "Almost everyone in Fairy Tail has a painful story, one that drives them forward and has made them who they are. Even me..." As Lucy slowly stood, she left her suitcase at the bar as she ran out of the guild, a sadly smiling Mira watching her progress.

* * *

As Romeo's tears slowly fell from his cheeks, the young boy's wiping futility at them as he continued to cry. As Romeo slowly made his way back towards his home, a rough hand ruffled his hair for a moment, causing Romeo to pause and stare at Natsu's back, the dragon slayer not even stopping as he continued to walk towards the edge of Magnolia.

"Don't worry Romeo, we'll find him." Romeo whirled around, the new voice causing his tears to fall once more as the young boy young boy saw Naruto walk towards him, his hand also ruffling the young boy's hair. As Naruto caught up to his comrade, Naruto chuckled as he saw the dragon slayer hiring a carriage to take him and Happy to Mount Hakobe.

"You must really want to get there badly if you're willing to use a carriage to do it." Glancing over his shoulder, Naruto saw Lucy running towards the pair and he grinned evilly. "Oh ho, I see how it is," Naruto said. "You could smell her following us and you got a carriage so she could go with you. You sly dog you." Natsu refused to take the bait, causing Naruto to pout sullenly.

Lucy stopped before the pair, the young woman panting loudly as she looked at the carriage. "Let me go with you!" Naruto and Natsu shared a look, the shinobi shrugging as Natsu motioned at the carriage.

"Ok, get inside, we've got to get moving." Lucy smiled widely as she climbed into the carriage, missing the light blush staining Natsu's cheeks as she turned towards Naruto. "So I guess you're going to leg it?"

Naruto nodded as he began stretching legs, his eyes focused on the distant peaks of Mount Hakobe. "Yep, I'll scout around the mountains, there's a lot of ground to cover and we may not have much time." As Naruto dashed off, Natsu climbed into the carriage and sat down, the dragon slayer breathing deeply as he tried to control his growing nausea as the carriage began to move. Lucy looked at Natsu quizzically and then towards the closed door.

"Where's Naruto? Isn't he riding with us?" Natsu stretched out on his bench, his motion sickness causing the young man to groan as he shook his head.

"No... too slow for him," Natsu said. "He'd go nuts after a few minutes of sitting here. He's running towards Hakobe right now, he... oh god, I hate carriages... he should arrive in half an hour or so, we'll be a few hours behind him." Lucy's jaw dropped as she looked at Natsu in amazement.

"Seriously? How is he so fast?" Natsu sighed as he began to sweat, his hands resting on his roiling stomach. Happy hopped on the bench as he looked at the girl sitting across from him.

"Feh, that's nothing for the Kage of Fairy Tail," Happy said, "You should see him when he's really serious." Lucy's jaw dropped as she began putting all the pieces together, her eyes widening as she leaned towards her current companion.

"Kage? You mean the Fairy Tail Guild's Co-Ace, that Kage?" At Natsu's weak nod, Lucy giggled excitedly as she fell back on her bench.

"Wow, I knew I recognized that jacket! Doesn't he normally wear a mask? Is he as strong as they say? People claim he's some kind of unstoppable juggernaut that can never be beaten!" Natsu laughed weakly as he shook his head, causing Lucy to cock her head to the side.

"Heh, his mask is for when he goes on secret missions, almost like another identity. And he is strong... but it's not just his strength that makes him who he is. He's only a little stronger than an A class mage," Natsu said, his face paling as he continued to speak. "But it's his mind that makes him dangerous. He's... urp... nearly unstoppable if you give him a chance to come up with a plan. Even if he doesn't, he's still hard to beat cause you can't predict what he'll do. But one day I'll take him down and... urgh... be the strongest there is."

Lucy sat back, crossing her arms under her breasts as she leaned against the wooden wall of the carriage. 'Well, nothing left to do but wait for the journey to finish... I really hope Natsu doesn't puke on me.'

Three hours later

Natsu groaned as the carriage finally came to a stop, his stomach finally settling as he shouldered his pack. "Finally, lets get of of this thing." As he opened the door, strong winds blew snow into the carriage, causing Lucy to scream as she began rubbing her exposed arms.

"What the heck?! It's the middle of summer!" As Lucy looked at the snow storm raging around the trio, she saw a blanket resting atop Natsu's pack and raced towards it. "Gimme that!" Moments later Lucy pulled one of her keys from her waist raised it into the air. "O-open the door of the clock! HOROLOGIUM!" As Lucy raced towards her summoned clock, she watched Natsu and Happy scanning the frozen land before them.

"Just what was Macao doing her in the first place?" As Lucy stepped inside of Horologium, a chill raced down her spine as she heard Natsu's reply.

"You can out here without knowing that? Macao was going to subdue a dangerous monster, Vulcan. It's been spotted around here. If it's not stopped, it could destroy any nearby towns in a matter of days." As Natsu began walking towards the nearest peak, a large shadow falling from above caused Natsu to back flip to safety, the dragon slayer watching as a Vulcan landed before him. The large ape like creature laughed mockingly as it leaped over Natsu, the creature snatching up Horologium in it's clutches and running off.

"Save me! She says." Natsu watched apathetically as Lucy was carried away, the dragon slayer releasing a large blast of fire around him. Moments later a crouching Naruto appeared, the shinobi rising to his feet as he looked at his fellow guild mates.

"Well, none of the other peaks had any clues. Since you signaled me with your magic, I'm guessing you ran into something, am I right?" Natsu grinned as he punched his fist into his open hand, a burst of flames appearing around his body.

"Yep, we found the Vulcan. I've got his scent, lets go."

* * *

So there you have it, please review since that's the only thing I gain from this story in the end. Till next chapter!


	3. Chapter 2

So, first off... yes, I have a pretty good idea of how powerful Naruto is in comparison to the members of Fairy Tail and the threats they face in that world. On general principle he'd be able to conquer the world in a few days and rule over the ashes. Meaning, there has to be a way to limit what he can do, which is explained in this chapter. As you are going to see, Naruto will be in a good number of the major story plots, some of them he'll be right in the thick of it with the guild members, others he will be in the shadows or doing something that is connected, but each time he will kick ass. So, thanks for the reviews, lemme know what you think and keep'em coming.

So yeah, I will be working on this and another story of mine on a rotating basis. So for the rest of January, I'll be working on Dimensional Traveler, and in February I'll work on my other fic, Unpredictable Treasure Hunter. If you haven't checked it out I'd say go for it, it's a decent size so it'll give you something to read.

Chapter 2

Mt. Hakobe was a frozen wasteland, the perpetual snowstorm stopping all but the bravest... or most foolish from scaling its peaks. If anyone could see the group that was crossing the frozen mountain paths of the area, they would be hard pressed to know if they were either incredibly brave... or completely bat shit insane to be doing it.

Natsu continued his trek across the frozen mountain path, the dragon slayer stopping every few minutes as he sniffed the air. Happy sat perched on his partner's shoulder, the blue cat keeping his eyes peeled as he scanned the horizon for possible dangers. Naruto silently followed the normally hyper young man, the hood of his sage coat pulled over his head as he looked at the raging blizzard surrounding the trio.

"Any problem picking up the scent, Natsu?" Naruto's shout apparently had been heard by the young man as a negligent wave was his only answer, an action that caused Naruto to grin as they neared what appeared to be the entrance to a dark cave. But as the three mages entered the opening, the shinobi whistled lowly as he looked at the icy cavern stretched out before them. "No way this is natural," Naruto said. "The layout is too precise, I wonder what made this?" Naruto pulled his hood down as he walked further into the cave, the shinobi cocking his ear as he heard loud gibbering echoing against the walls of dense ice. "I'm pretty sure we've found them. Let's go."

Several minutes later, Natsu slowly edged himself towards what appeared to be the final antechamber of the cavern, a proud Naruto watching as the Dragon Slayer didn't run headlong into the unknown situation, fire blazing from his mouth while fighting by the seat of his pants. 'And the funny thing is,' Naruto thought wryly. 'It only took a whole year of 'violent reinforcement' to break him of that bad habit!'

"How many are there? And is Lucy ok?" Natsu glanced around the corner once more, before looking back at the shinobi, a frown stretched across his face.

"There's only about twenty of them." Naruto raised an eyebrow as he rubbed his chin in thought. "And Lucy... well..." A high pitched scream echoed through the icy caves, causing Naruto to sigh as his head fell forward.

With Lucy

"AHHHH! HOLOROGIUM, I NEED AN EXTENSION! GIMME AN EXTENSION PLEASE! AHHHHH!"

Back with Natsu, Happy and Naruto

Naruto sighed as he rubbed at his forehead, the sound of the gibber tribe of Vulcans and Lucy's screams causing a headache to form. "Of course, her spirit just had to disappear now. That thing would have protected her during the fight, but now, we're gonna have to save her... damned newbies coming on a mission like this. And are you sure about the number of Vulcans in there?" Naruto said, his hand gesturing back at the room ahead of the pair. "Check again, that number seems kinda low for all the noise we're hearing."

Natsu looked around the corner once more, but this time when he looked back his expression was gleeful as he rubbed his hands together. "Oh no, there's way more then twenty, looks like forty now." Naruto grumbled softly as he began to pull out several items from a hip pouch.

"If that stupid clock had stuck around, we could have had a little competition, but now we have to watch out for the newbie." Naruto sighed as he placed several tags against the wall that separated the trio from the chamber, the small pieces of paper glowing briefly as he connected it to his chakra system. Closing his eyes, Naruto stretched out his chakra senses, the shinobi pinpointing each monster that was hiding behind the wall. After several moments, Natsu began to fidget and was about to run headlong into the fight when a strong hand gripped his forearm, the dragon slayer looking into Naruto's shocked eyes.

"Change of plans, we've got another problem."

* * *

Lucy nervously backed away from the approaching Vulcans, the primate monsters surrounding the cowering woman as she shivered under Natsu's blanket. 'Natsu, Naruto, where are you? If only there was something I could use as a distraction, then I could try and escape!'

As if answering Lucy's desperate plea, the far wall of the antechamber exploded, smoke and shards of ice flying across the room as the Vulcans began to run helter skelter in fear. That is, all the Vulcans except the one that kidnapped Lucy scattered, the tall creature grinning lecherously as it neared the now terrified girl.

"Woman... Me likes woman!" Lucy screamed in terror as the Vulcan's hand reached for her, the celestial spirit mage raising her arms over her head when a sudden blast of wind sent the girl crashing to the floor.

Lucy groaned as she picked herself up off the ground, her attention focused on the growling Vulcan that was now face to face with her, the young mage's eyes lifting as she looked to see what was holding the creature on the ground. Looking upwards, Lucy's jaw dropped as she gasped, her vision filled with the sight of Naruto standing in front of her, his hand pinning the Vulcan to the ground. As the S-class Mage pulled his hand away from the monster, a brightly glowing character was revealed, several snaking lines leaping from the mark and wrapping around the creature as it struggled to move.

"Stay down, Lucy! Natsu," Naruto said, his hands clasped together in front of him. "Let 'er rip!" Lucy's eyes widened as she watched Natsu stride through the thick smoke, the young man spreading his legs widely, inhaling deeply as a magic seal forming rapidly around him. Lucy watched in fascination as he brought both of his clenched fists in front of his mouth, his cheeks bulging as he finished inhaling.

"_Karyū no Hōkō_!" Lucy screamed as a wall of flames raced towards her, when the sight was suddenly cut off as a wall of ice rose up, the frozen liquid glowing a brilliant orange as it held back the flames.

"Can you stand?" Lucy blinked slowly, her gaze focusing at a hand held out before her. Looking upwards, Lucy's vision clouded as she stared into the smiling face of her savior, tears slowly running down her cheeks. "Aw come on, don't cry, we're nakama, I wouldn't let anything happen to you. If I did, Mira would kill me. And besides, I like you, you've got spunk." As Lucy began to wipe at the falling tears, a loud thump echoed against the ice wall. Naruto grunted as he touched the wall before the pair, a string of glowing characters revealing themselves just before they burst into motes of light. Moments later the ice wall fell, the sight before her causing Lucy to cover her mouth in horror.

Natsu stood before the young woman, a sombre Happy perched on his shoulder. The young mage was doing his best to block Lucy's sight, but his body wasn't large enough to hide the burned remains of the Vulcans that had inhabited the cavern. Lucy looked up at Naruto in shock, her mouth working silently as she tried to understand what was going on.

"Vulcans use Take Over," Naruto said, the blonde haired man kneeling beside the sole surviving creature, his expression grave as he reached into his hip pouch once more. "It's a spell that imprints a specific creature or monster on top of a person's normal body. Vulcans take over people, causing their tribe to swell quickly as they hunt down humans in nearby towns and villages." Lucy's eyes widened, her gaze switching towards Natsu who nodded grimly before Naruto continued to speak.

"After a while, the Take Over becomes permanent, meaning that there is no way to return those people to their human form. When this happens, its a mercy to end it for them, or else they may attack their loved ones and friends, changing them into monsters as well." As Naruto pulled a small piece of paper out, Lucy watched in fascination as it was placed atop the Vulcan, the creature gibbering madly as it tried to escape.

"Before we attacked, I could sense that one of the Vulcan's was still human, he was in the process of turning... meaning, that if we got to him fast enough we could save him. It also works out well for us, after all he's the reason we came out here." Lucy watched in wonder as the Vulcan was bathed in a brilliant white light, the terrified gibbering rapidly changing to painful shrieks. Several moments passed before the creature began to shrink, revealing a passed out older man with blue hair, his clothing covered in blood.

"Lucky for Macao here, I have a lot of experience with Take Over magic. The seal I just used absorbs the magic from him, returning him to his natural form." Bending over, Naruto helped pull the older man to his feet as Macao began to wake, his bleary eyes staring at the blonde man supporting him.

"N-Naruto? Wh...what happened?"

"Heh, I was hoping you could tell me Macao. I was surprised to find you taken over by a Vulcan, this was a pretty big tribe to go after all on your own." Macao took a deep breath as he shook his head, the man quickly remembering what had occurred.

"The mission said that there was a small tribe of them here, but it looks like they've been doing some recruiting. Nineteen, I took out nineteen of them but the twentieth... he snuck up behind me, once I saw him it was too late and then... nothing, I don't remember anything else until I just saw you. How long have I been gone?"

Magnolia, late evening

Romeo was sitting in front of his house, no longer caring how late the hour was or how tired he became. The young boy just sat there, staring down the road as he continued to wait. Several minutes passed when a group of people appeared under a lamppost, the sight causing Romeo to leap to his feet.

A sheepish looking Macao, his arm over Natsu's shoulders, waved at his son as the dragon slayer helped him reach his home, a smiling Happy and Lucy waiting beside the lamppost as they watched the reunion before them. Macao slipped his arm free from Natsu, the older man painfully turning towards his nakama and thanking him before he continued towards his son. Natsu grinned as he turned around, the mage walking silently towards his friends.

"NATSU-NII! HAPPY! LUCY-NEE! THANK YOU!" Natsu turned partially and raised his hand, a wave his only response before he walked off. Lucy caught up with the dragon slayer, her hands held behind her back as the trio slowly made their way towards the guild hall.

"So, where did Naruto disappear to? As soon as we hit town, he took off." Natsu shrugged his shoulders, the youth placing his hands in his pockets while Happy rode on his shoulder.

"Dunno, I knew he has a place in town but no one knows where it is. He just came back from a three month mission and he helped rescue Macao, he's probably wiped out. If anyone deserves a rest, it's him. Lets go home."

* * *

Naruto groaned loudly as he entered his home, the dwelling having remained unchanged since he had left several months earlier. The tired shinobi dropped his pack in the living room, his shirt quickly joining the bag on the floor as the blonde looked at his forearms.

Each forearm was wrapped in leather, each intricate sheath containing several strips of lacrima. The bracer on Naruto's left arm glowed a soothing green, while the right glowed a dull scarlet. Moments later, the shinobi removed these as well, his eyes focusing on the now revealed flame like tattoos that ran halfway up his forearm. As Naruto studied the black flames against his skin, a pair of delicate arms wrapped around his waist from behind, the shinobi letting out a content sound as the woman's soft hands slid up his chest.

"Hey love," Naruto said as he enjoyed the warmth from his lover's body. "I missed you." Naruto felt the woman behind him pull him towards her, soft lips kissing his broad back gently before the shinobi spun around, his fingers gently caressing Mira's cheek before he wrapped her in his arms. Mira's arms looped around Naruto's neck, the young woman pulling the shinobi into a deep kiss as she pulled him towards the nearby bedroom, a giggle escaping her lips as her lover kicked the door shut.

Several hours later

Naruto gently placed his hand on the stomach of his lover, pulling the young woman closer as the pair spooned together in their bed. A soft kiss on Mira's neck caused her to moan softly, the young woman enjoying the sated feeling after welcoming Naruto back. 'Now this has been what I've missed, falling asleep in his arms. It's been too long.' The young Take Over mage sighed as she opened her eyes drowsily, a delicate finger gently tracing the flame like tattoos on Naruto's arms as she relaxed in his embrace.

"Did you find anything this time?" After several moments without an answer, Mira was afraid that Naruto had fallen asleep on her. But a heavy sigh dispelled this thought, the shinobi's answer causing Mira to close her eyes as she brought Naruto's palm to her lips, kissing it softly before settling back against her lover's chest. 'It's been three years and we're still no closer to a solution.'

Flashback - Day of Naruto's arrival

Naruto and Makarov had both finished off their drinks, the shinobi rising to his feet, his arms raised over his head as a mighty yawn escaped him. Mira was still watching over her siblings, that is when she wasn't peeking over at Naruto. Makarov grinned toothily as he caught the young woman doing just that, the blush on her cheeks traveling down her neck and shoulders as she forced herself to look away.

'Hmmm, I wonder...' Rubbing his chin in thought, Makarov nearly missed Naruto's exit as he slowly made his way towards the guild hall exit.

"Well, I better get going, I need to find a place to crash for the night after all. Speaking of which, what are we going to do about them?" Makarov looked towards his sleeping children, a short bark of laughter passing his lips as he shook his head.

"Don't worry, this wouldn't be the first time they've slept on the floor after a brawl. They'll either sleep till morning or wake up and head home. But as for you, why don't you go clean up in one of the back rooms? There's a place you can shower and change if you've got extra clothes, Mira'll be happy to show you the way!"

Mira spun around, her eyes wide as she stared at the sweaty blonde before her. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest as he watched a bright blush cover the young woman's face, her mouth working soundlessly as Makarov ran from the room, cackling madly. Naruto cocked his head to the side as he observed the brightly blushing girl before him.

'Yep, she's gonna blow up... right about...'

"YOU DAMNED OLD GOAT! I'MMA GONNA KILL YOU!"

'Now... damn you jiji,' Naruto mentally growled, shaking his head as he watched the violently cursing girl before him. 'I suck at handling angry women, you are so getting pranked.' Naruto walked forward and placed his hand on Mira's head, causing the white haired girl to pause as she slowly turned towards him.

"Lesson number one if you're going to hang around me. Never, ever prank me. Leave it to me, I'll get him back for both of us." Naruto smiled as Mira's eyes locked onto his own, an awed expression appearing before Naruto grinned at the girl. "Now, Makarov said something about a shower?" Naruto watched as Mira looked at the blonde nervously, the expression on her face causing Naruto to chuckling internally. After several moments of studying the girl before him, Naruto watched with a smile as Mira quickly made her way towards the back of the hall, an amused Naruto following her sedately. When she reached the door, Mira turned around and began fidgeting with her hands, a habit that caused Naruto to smile fondly as he remembered how Hinata would do the same thing. Reaching his hand out, Naruto patted the nervous girl on the shoulder as he opened the door.

"Thanks Mira-chan, I got it from here." Mira watched intently as Naruto entered the back rooms, the Take Over mage leaning against the wall once the door slid shut. The young girl sighed as she slid to the floor, a predatory grin appearing as Mira looked at the closed door.

"Well, Erza doesn't seem interested in Naruto at all... lucky for me. Now, how can I..."

"SHIT! WHAT THE HELL?!" Mira's gaze focused on the closed door, the young girl rising to her feet and worriedly banging against it.

"Naruto! Are you ok in there?" Moments later the door was wrenched open and a shirtless Naruto exited, a panicked expression on his face as he stared at his forearms. Mira's gaze focused on Naruto's forearms, seeing what she assumed were several intricate tattoo's that reminded her of flames. But when she looked up at Naruto's face, the panic reflected in his gaze caused the young girl to quickly realize that something was very wrong.

"Mira, where's the old man? Something's really wrong here."

End flashback

Mira 's fingers gently traced along the black flames that adorned her lover's skin, wishing that there was something that she could do about them. 'As long as this seals remain, Naruto-kun can't properly access Kurama's chakra. And after he made that discovery regarding the natural energy of our world, I thought he was going to have a breakdown.'

Flashback – Evening of Naruto's arrival

After a tense conversation with Makarov, Naruto had tried every seal that he could think of to remove the flames from his forearms, but every one that he tried was instantly absorbed into the new array that adorned his body. After an hour of futile attempts, Naruto allowed Makarov to study the seal array, hoping to get some kind of answer from the old man. As Makarov's keen eyes studied the array, Naruto watched Mira mixing a drink behind the bar, the young girl glancing towards the pair every so often.

"Well, as far as I can tell," Makarov said. "This 'array' is a mixture of magic and these fuin techniques that you mentioned. I wouldn't even know where to begin with it. And you say you have no idea where it came from?" Naruto sighed as he leaned back in his chair, his gaze focused on the newest seals that covered his body.

"That's right, I never saw them until I took off my shirt. Well that's just great, now I can't use any of my Jinchūriki powers. I still have my healing ability, but it looks like I'm stuck with Sage Mode when the shit hits the fan." Makarov looked at Naruto quizzically as he blinked at the young man before him.

"Sage mode? What's that?" Naruto pulled his feet up, the blonde's body relaxing in a lotus position as his eyes slowly closed. Makarov and Mira both watched as Naruto became completely still, his breathing slowing until he suddenly screamed in agonizing pain, the shinobi falling from his chair as he twitched on the ground feebly before the two wide eyed mages.

"What... the fuck... is wrong with this place?!"

End Flashback

Mira had to suppress a giggle as she remembered how pitiful Naruto had sounded that day. 'We had no idea at the time but, the the Eterano that permeates the air is mixed with the natural energy of our world. It can sustain a mage's magical power, but it can't be used for sage mode. Naruto-kun can filter the natural energy out, but it takes too long to gather, so it's essentially useless in combat. At least Master was finally able to come up with an alternative for... Naruto-kun...' Mira's thoughts slowly trailed off as sleep finally overtook the young woman, the pair of lovers resting peacefully together as the night wore on.

The Next Day

The early morning sun shone through the open curtains, the beam of light striking exactly where Naruto's closed eyes happened to be. A low groan was heard as the tired shinobi focused his chakra, a clone popping into existence. Naruto opened his eyes blearily as he watched his clone yawn and stretch before him. The clone went to the window and quietly closed the curtains before standing in front of Naruto, waiting for further orders.

"You're going into the guild for Mira, we'll be there in the afternoon." It's orders received, the clone tiredly nodded as it activated a henge, turning into a perfect replica of Mirajane. The real Naruto sighed contently as he snuggled closer to the warm body beside him, an action that caused Mira to murmur softly in her sleep as the pair drifted off again.

Several hours later, Naruto opened his eyes, the bare spot before him letting him know that Mira was already up. Rising from his bed, Naruto silently padded into the kitchen, a smile gracing his lips as he leaned against the door frame, observing a softly humming Mira as she moved around the kitchen while preparing breakfast for the pair. As Mira returned to the stove, a smirking Naruto silently advanced, his unsuspecting prey completely unaware of what was approaching. As Naruto neared Mira, he raised his hands and prepared to lunge forward...

"Don't even think about it Naruto-kun. Now," Mira said, her eyes never leaving the cooking food on the stove. "Go and set the table, I'm almost done here." Naruto sighed as he stepped forward, gave Mira a hug good morning a peck on the cheek, and proceeded to set the table as instructed. A few minutes later the pair were seated across from each other, enjoying the meal and catching up on what had been happening over the last few months. As the pair finished their meal, they quickly washed the dishes and got ready for the day. Half an hour later and the duo were slowly making their way towards the Guild Hall, a smiling Mira holding onto Naruto's arm as they passed through the market district. As Naruto looked up, he saw the Mira clone approaching them, her hands full of bags and a smile on her face as she greeted the pair.

"So, how did it go?" Naruto said, accepting the baggage as the clone scoffed lightly.

"Hah, those guys didn't even know the difference. I just flashed'em the same smile that Mira always uses and they were putty in my hands." Naruto grinned as the clone disappeared in a burst of smoke, it's memories causing the blonde to chuckle as the pair continued on their way towards the guild.

"Naruto-kun, I don't know whether to be impressed that you can imitate me so well, or to be creeped out by the fact that you can." Naruto's head quickly turned towards his girlfriend, the betrayed expression he was wearing causing the young woman to giggle.

"Oh, you sneaky little... this is cause I tried to scare you in the kitchen, isn't it?" Mira giggles continued as she squeezed the arm that she was holding onto, the pair slowly separating as they drew closer to the guild. Before they could enter, Naruto grabbed Mira and pulled her into a nearby alleyway, dropping the bags he carried as he held the young mage in his arms. "Mira, don't you think it's time that we tell everyone that we're together? We can't keep hiding this, someone is going to figure it out eventually."

"Have you forgotten," Mira said, a deadpan stare causing Naruto to sweat a little. "Why we don't tell everyone? I seem to recall someone saying that, 'She'll skin me alive if she finds out I'm sleeping with her best friend!'. Now, who could have said such a thing, I wonder..." Mira was cut off as Naruto leaned in and kissed her deeply, the young woman moaning softly as she returned the ardent kiss and rested her head against Naruto's chest.

"Yes, I know I said that, but that was a year ago. I'm sure that she's... oh who am I kidding, she'll still try and kill me." Mira giggled as she gently patted Naruto's arm, the blonde gathering up the dropped items quickly. The pair exited the alley, separately, and entered the Guild Hall, a round of cheers greeting them.

"Hey everyone," Mira said, a smile on her lips as she touched Naruto's shoulder. "Look who I ran into!" As Naruto placed the heavy bags he had been carrying at the bar, he heard several whispered conversations around him.

"Heh, look at that, he's become a glorified gopher. Of course, it'd be hard to say no to Mira-chan if she asked for help."

"Do you think he's been friend-zoned? After all, I never see Mira looking at him any different than the rest of us."

Naruto nearly burst out laughing at the last snippet he heard, his years of shinobi training helping the blonde to keep his mirth off of his face as he helped Mira pull various bottles and groceries out of the bags he had been carrying. Naruto looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Makarov staring at him, a mischievous smile gracing the old man's face as he walked towards the pair.

"Well well, I see you found our late riser Mira. And you even got him to agree to be a pack mule, good job!" Mira giggled as she circled around the bar, putting away the purchased items as the Master leaned towards Naruto, his humorous grin disappearing as Makarov adopted a serious expression.

"So, how did they work out? Any problems?" Naruto pulled his sleeve back a bit, revealing the lacrima studded bracers, their soft glow causing the old man to grin in triumph.

"Nope, they work like a charm. The Sage Bracer fills in about a day or so, but the Biju Bracer fills much more slowly, I'll only use that one for emergencies." Makarov nodded gravely as Naruto tugged his long sleeved shirt back down, covering the softly glowing gems as the pair turned towards the rowdy members of the guild.

"I'm sorry it took so long to find a work around, but the lacrima that we used had to be created from scratch. This is completely untested and we weren't really sure what would happen..." Makarov trailed off, a terror feeling of dread causing the old man to turn around and look at Mirajane's strained smile.

"Master, are you using Naruto as a guinea pig again without knowing the consequences? What did I tell you would happen if I found out about this happening again?" Naruto nervously laughed as Makarov grabbed the blonde and began making his way towards his office.

"Sorry Mira," Makarov said, the diminutive master quickly backing away from the angry bar maid. "I've got important things to discuss with Naruto! We'll continue this conversation... never." Mira glared at the Master but her line of sight was cut off as his door slammed shut, the barmaid's cheeks puffing out as she pouted cutely.

"Mou, that crazy old man..." As Mira began putting away the various beverages the clone had purchased, a visibly smirking Lucy sat at the bar, her elbows resting on the counter as she leaned forward.

"Hey Mirajane! So, I see you came in with Naruto, that must have been some coincidence!" Mira finished putting away the drinks and leaned forward, motioning for Lucy to come closer. The young girl grinned widely as she did so, hoping to hear a juicy secret. Mira looked down the length of the bar, assuring herself that no one was eavesdropping before she began to speak.

"Well, you see, I was out shopping and..." As Mira trailed off, Lucy nodded her head excitedly, waiting on pins and needles for the rest of the story. Mira grinned mischievously, reached over and flicked the young girl in the forehead, eliciting a startled yelp from the receiver of the weak blow. "That's for being nosy, Lucy-chan."

"OW! Mirajane, that wasn't funny!" Mira leaned back, her giggles attracting the attention of several people passing by as she picked up a cloth to wipe down the counter top. Lucy let out a huff as she watched the model working, when she suddenly sat up straight. "Oh yeah! When we were on our way towards Mt Hakobe, Natsu said something that doesn't make a lot of sense. He said Naruto is the Co-Ace of the guild, but he's only as strong as a A class mage? How does that work?" Mira stood tall and nodded sagely, her arms crossing under her breasts as she focused on the question.

"Ah, well Natsu is a little... slow, he doesn't quite understand Naruto's real potential. Everyone who talks to our resident Dragon Slayer says the same thing that you just did. Now, let me ask you something before I answer your question. I know you're a Celestial Spirit Mage, but do you specialize in any other type of magic?"

"Nope, it's just me and my Spirits. Why?" Mira nodded again as she looked towards Makarov's office.

"It's the same for a lot of mages, many of us specialize in one area and that's it. I'm a master of transformation magic, as well as several other types. Master is able to use at least seven different types of magic, that we know of. Naruto is able to successfully use at least six types, each of them as powerful as an A ranked mage. So in a fight where both mages only use a single type of magic, he really is at that level of power. But when you combine all of them, not to mention his physical capabilities then he is much more powerful."

Lucy swallowed loudly as she looked towards the closed door Naruto had entered earlier. "W-what do you mean by 'physical capabilities'?"

"Insanely enhanced speed, strength, agility, proficiency with weaponry, and his ability to create solid clones to assist him in combat. Don't even get me started on his sealing methods, we're still trying to figure out how he can do what he does with those things. And if that wasn't enough, the man has a mind like steel trap, he always has an out or a way to win a fight, no matter how bad his position is. Honestly, if he wanted to he could probably take over as Guild master, he'd be perfect for it." Mira giggled internal at the dumbfounded expression Lucy had, remember how everyone else had reacted when Naruto had told them what he could do all those years ago.

"Is he some kind of prodigy? That's insane!" Just as Lucy was about to continue, the office door opened and Naruto quickly exited the room, a determined look on his face as he walked towards one of the far tables in the guild hall. Mira sighed as she placed a delicate hand on her cheek. "Uh oh, looks like Naruto's received a new mission. I recognize that look, this can't be good."

* * *

Naruto exited the office, his eyes raking back and forth across the people before him until he found his quarry. As Naruto strode across the guild hall, he stopped at a table and nodded at the occupants.

"Bisca, Alzack, I need both of you to help with a job." The pair of gunslingers nodded curtly, stood and exited the guild. Naruto spun around and came face to face with Elfman, the large man looking down at the shorter Naruto with a neutral expression.

"Naruto-san, if you need assistance, I volunteer my help as a Man." Naruto's eyes narrowed as he opened his mouth wide, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Mira's hands clasp together, causing the shinobi to sigh angrily.

"No thanks Elfman, we'll be fine." Brushing by the large man, Naruto walked towards the bar and flashed Mira an apologetic smile as he sat down for a moment.

"I'm sorry that we haven't had time to catch up, this is an emergency job and it should be done in a week or so, after that I'm not taking anything else for a while." Mira lowered her hands and stared at Naruto, the shinobi sighing as he placed his hands on the bar, meeting Mira's hopeful gaze with a stubborn look.

"I know what you want to say and I'm sorry, the answer is still no." Turning away abruptly, Naruto stormed out of the guild, a confused Lucy looking towards Mirajane for an explanation about what had just happened. Mira sighed as she closed her eyes, trying to find the best way to explain the situation.

"Naruto and Elfman... they don't get along very well. I've tried to get Naruto to work past it but..." Mira sat down heavily on a stool behind the bar, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes as she watched a visibly saddened Elfman exit the guild, his posture and stride showing his dejection with each step.

Magnolia Train Station

Naruto's hands were thrust into his sage jacket, the shinobi waiting patiently for the rest of his team to arrive. When Bisca and Alzack finally made it , the pair stood before the senior mage, waiting to hear what the mission was.

"We've got a big problem, it's a emergency mission that was specifically sent to me. For years, the council has been hearing about a group of dark mages that finds ancient artifacts and sells them to the highest bidder, regardless of how destructive or dark they are. The meeting sites change constantly so they are never caught, but the council finally got someone on the inside and now we know where the next meet will be. We're going in to seize all the artifacts and hold the criminals until the council arrives. Are you two ready for this?" Alzack looked over at his partner, a determined expression meeting his gaze. Turning back towards Naruto, Alzack nodded firmly.

"Lead the way Naruto, we're with you."

* * *

So, read, review, let me know how you like it!


	4. Chapter 3

And here we go! Some more of my insanity for you guys to read and hopefully enjoy. If oyu haven't already, drop me a review, especially if you're following or have added the story to your favorites.

* * *

The next day – Crocus

A cool breeze blew it's way through the large city, the cooler northern air helping to relieve the oppressive heat of the capital. Naruto breathed in the cool breeze deeply, a smile touching his lips as he looked over the multitude of buildings laid out before him. His hand reaching out, Naruto pointed at the dilapidated opera house across the street before turning back to his partners for this mission.

"There it is, Crocus' Old Opera House. That's where the auction is currently located." Both of the Guns Magic mages crept forward, looking at the large building before them. Alzack turned back to their team leader, an expression of surprise causing Naruto grin.

"An auction for dark artifacts in the capital? That's insane, this is the last place they should have this set up! You'd think they're not even worried that they would be caught..." Naruto chuckled as he pulled a scroll from his pack, laying the parchment on the roof top and weighing the corners down with several kunai.

"That's the beauty of it Alzack," Naruto said, a tone of admiration leaking into his words. "No one would ever suspect it. But, if you have the balls and expertise to pull it off, this is the best way to fly under the radar... also, it doesn't help that they have someone with deep pockets that 'helps' the local law to avoid this area. But, their luck has finally run out." Bisca's eyes narrowed as she watched several patrols, some of them guarding the front of the building as well as others that passed by the expansive windows that adorned the building.

"Looks like we've got a lot of company this time. Maybe we should have brought Elfman along, he's good in a fight..." Bisca trailed off at the sound of crumbling stonework, the sniper looking over her shoulder as Naruto pulling his hand from a newly formed hole in the wall. Alzack looked over at his partner, placing a silencing hand on her shoulder as Naruto focused on the two gunslingers.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. Now, get over here, we've got some planning to do."

Chapter 3

Fairy Tail Guild Hall

"I remember what you told me yesterday, Mira." Lucy said, the young woman picking at the food she had ordered. "But why don't Naruto and Elfman get along?" Mirajane froze, the glass she had been polishing clutched between her hands as she took a deep breath. Placing the glassware on the counter, Mira motioned for Lucy to follow her, the curious Celestial Spirit Mage following the retreating barmaid swiftly.

As the pair passed through a set of large doors, Lucy's eyes widened happily as she stared at the multitude of books before her. A lone girl was in the Library, Fairy Tail's Solid Script mage, Levi. The young woman could be found here when not relaxing with her friends and teammates, Levi always saying the same thing when asked why she spent so much time in the library. "They just call to me, all those books... so much knowledge that I need to read!" As the solid script mage climbed down the ladder, she caught sight of the new arrivals, smiling brightly as she ran forward.

"Mira! Lucy-chan! What can I do for you?" Levi's expression shifted from happy to concerned in a moment, the somber look in Mira's eyes causing Levi to worry about her friend.

"Levi, could I have you leave the library for a little while? I've got some things I need to share with Lucy about the history of our guild." Levi nodded slowly, placing a comforting hand on Mira's arm before exiting the library. Once the doors were closed once more, Mira motioned to a pair of comfortable chairs, the two young woman sitting as they looked at each other in silence.

Mira leaned forward, a a warm smile appearing as she broke the silence. "Three years ago, Naruto fell into our laps, literally. No one was sure where he came from, just that one day he appeared, trashed our guild when Natsu started a fight with him, and knocked everyone else out. The master came home and after discussing the circumstances, Naruto was invited to join Fairy Tail. Within the first few months, many of our members had realized that he had a flair for tactics, many thought that his off the wall or just plain insane plans were doomed to failure, but they all ended up working for some strange reason. He became the person that was consulted any time a really dangerous mission came up. And he was good at it, he gained the trust of everyone."

Crocus

Naruto leaned over the parchment he had placed on the ground, the floor plans of the Opera house laid out before the trio as they discussed their roles in the operation. "Bisca, I'll take out the patrols on the third floor, creating a dead spot that you can use as a sniper position. I'll also be posting two henge'd clones to protect you, just in case there's a change in patrols. After you've gotten a clear line of sight on the targets, hold your position until you see my signal." Bisca nodded, the guns magic mage checking her weapons once more before the operation began.

"Alzack, you're going to be coming in on their flanks, making sure that the boss of this auction doesn't escape. Don't reveal yourself unless you need to stop him from escaping, even if it seems like I'm in trouble, understood?" A terse nod from Alzack caused Naruto to grin, the blonde standing tall as he began stretching.

Alzack and Bisca looked at each other, the young man asking the question that they both wanted the answer to. "Naruto," Alzack said, the young man glancing over at Bisca before he continued speaking. "What exactly will you be doing?" Naruto looked down at the still crouching pair, his smirk causing the pair to gulp.

"Me? I'm the distraction. Now, get comfortable, we're not moving before three am, you two better get some sleep."

Fairy Tail Library

"So for a year, Naruto went on any and every job he could find, if anyone needed a hand he was there to help them. And all that time, he always had time for me, Elfman and... and Lisanna." Mira's face fell, the ivory haired beauty staring at her hands as she began to slowly started to shed tears. Lucy leaned forward, took the barmaid's hands in her own and squeezed lightly.

"Mira, who's Lisanna? Why are you crying?" Mira freed one of her hands, wiping angrily at her tears and taking a deep breath, composing herself before she continued.

"Lisanna... she was my little sister. She died two years ago on a mission. Naruto watched her die, h-he was too late to save her. And the reason she's dead... is because of an accident involving Elfman."

Crocus – Early morning

Naruto watched as he clones landed lightly on the far away roof of the opera house, the shinobi's eyes narrowing as they disappeared inside the building. Several tense minutes later, the same pair of clones appeared in one of the windows, his confident grin and corny thumbs up causing Naruto and Bisca to breath a sigh of relief. Naruto grabbed Bisca in his arms and leaped silently into the air, the shinobi landing softly on the distant roof. As the second clone reappeared and guided Bisca to her final destination, Naruto jogged across the roof, looking below as Alzack managed to sneak in through the rear of the building.

"Knew it was a good idea to bring these two. Ok, show time."

**'Do I get to come out and play?'** Naruto sighed as he dove into his seal, his head craning upwards as he looked into the half lidded eyes of his partner, Kurama.

"Sorry furball, I may be able to use your chakra again, but it takes such a long time to gather it that I'm saving it for emergencies." A low rumbling sound shook the ground gently before Kurama closed his eyes, his snout resting on his paws.

"**Bah, this sucks. This world has done nothing but hinder us since we've arrived."** Naruto reached out a hand and patted his partner gently, causing Kurama to open one of it's eyes in confusion. **"Hmm?"**

"Don't worry, someday soon I'm sure we'll be kicking ass together again, just wait for me, ok partner?" Kurama sighed loudly as Naruto vanished from his sight, the shinobi blinked his eyes rapidly before he looked over the edge of the opera house's rooftop, the sight below him causing Naruto to grin. A pair of guards were standing right below him, chatting quietly as they took a break. Naruto smirked as he stepped off of the building and plummeted towards the ground.

* * *

"The mistakes of the past shall rise once more to enrich our future." From the moment of it's creation, this had been the motto of the guild Rising Phoenix, it's sole purpose; discovering the ancient knowledge and magics that had been lost, returning humanity's former glory to it people. Seekers of the old ways, treasure hunters and wise sages flocked to the guild of knowledge, hoping to discover a clue to the past that could aid humanity's future.

But, the council saw nothing but a group of opportunistic thieves, acquiring priceless and dangerous artifacts in their pursuit of knowledge. On the day that his guild was disbanded, the guild master, Bartalemao, swore that he would rise from the ashes of his former guild. He also promised that the council would regret their decision.

Bartalemao stood on the stage of the latest stop of the Devil's Auction, a Dark Mage's wildest dream. Locations to ancient sites of power, lost tomes and magics, forbidden knowledge in it's purest form. All of it available... to anyone who was willing to pay. Bartalemao was now known as the Auction Master, the person that had the final say in all matters concerning the enterprise were his alone. The amoral man smirked evilly, his eyes slowly drifted over the latest batch of dark artifacts that had been acquired as he began calculating just how much he could get from the horde before him. Suddenly, the sound of a door being kicked in woke him from his stupor, the head of the Devil's Auction looking up in surprise as a tall blonde haired man strolled into sight, a look of relief on his face.

"Finally, real live people! Do you know how hard it is to find a bathroom in this part of town at this hour? So, if you could just point me in the right direction, I'll be out of... hang on, what's going on here?" Bartalemao watched in silent surprise as the blonde walked towards the stage, a childlike smile of glee spreading as he closed in on the gathered artifacts.

"Wow! This is a Sword of Desolation! It's said to contain a spell that can destroy anything within a mile of it's user. And a Staff of Subjugation! Talk about rare stuff! What's happening here Ossan? Is this some sorta club for owners of rare artifacts or something?"

The Auction Master folded his arms over his chest as he watched his men closing in on the intruder. "Something that you should not have seen, boy. I'm afraid that finding a bathroom is the least of your worries at the moment."

The blonde man cocked an eyebrow as he watched the approaching men, many of which had magic seals appearing before them as they neared their target. "Aw, don't be like that. If you threaten me like this, then I've got to retaliate, and that never ends well for you guys. So how about this, you surrender peacefully and we talk this out?" A chorus of laughter caused the blonde to shrug. "Yeah, I thought that it sounded stupid as well, but I have to give you the chance to give up."

The Auction Master's eyes narrowed as he studied the man before him once more, a niggling suspicion growing in his mind. "And why is that?"

The blonde grinned savagely as it raised a fist. "Because otherwise I'd get in trouble when I do this. Bunshin Daibakuha!" The Auction Master's eyes widened as the blonde glowed brightly for a moment before he exploded. The leader of the illegal auction threw his arms up as the blast wave neared him, his magic glowing around him as he tried to cast a spell of protection but it was too late, the once proud guild leader was thrown bodily across the room like a rag doll.

Screams and yelling echoed in the man's ears as he saw his men milling about in confusion, many of them wounded as they had been right by the blast. When amidst the confusion, the Auction Master saw a shadow appear behind several of his uninjured henchmen. The wounded man raised his arm shakily, trying to get the attention of his men, even as he realized that it was too late. Blasts of magical energy were fired from a balcony that should have been clear and guarded, Bartalemao's men falling to the ground amidst further explosions while others fell to the shadowy man behind them.

"Dammit woman! Stop blowing them up, we need a few of them to talk!" Bartalemao shakily rose to his feet, the injured man limping towards the exit as quickly as he could while his men fell to the duo.

'If I can just get outside, I can...' The Auction Master's train of thought was swiftly derailed as the cold metal barrel of a magic revolver pressed firmly against his forehead, causing the man to freeze in terror. The sound of the revolver's hammer cocking echoed loudly in Bartalemao's ears, causing him to stay absolutely still.

"Sorry, but I think we need to have a few words with you. If you could please go back inside, Naruto will be with you in just a moment."

Several minutes later

Naruto was whistling jauntily as he continued to truss up the captured dark mages, the groans of the wounded not even fazing him as he tightened the ropes. "Too tight? Well you should have thought about that before you attacked me." The blonde shinobi stood swiftly, turning towards the seated Auction Master and flashing him a grin. "So, rather than torture you for information, how about you show me where you keep your logs, books, whatever you call them. I'll make sure to let the council know you were cooperative, it may make'em more lenient on you." Naruto watched as the injured man painfully crossed his arms over his chest, defying the blonde as he neared him. Naruto knelt down, looked the leader of the illegal auction in the eye and stared at him. Several moments passed, when suddenly the man glanced at a crate to the right, a smiling Naruto rising to his feet and striding towards it, still whistling happily.

Bisca smirked as she elbowed Alzack in the ribs. "Is it just me, or is Naruto enjoying their suffering just a little too much?" Alzack chuckled softly as the pair watched Naruto searching the contents of the crate.

Moments later, the blonde found the ledger that had been kept, it's bindings filled with the names of buyers of the worst kind of artifacts possible. As the blonde scanned the ledger, a item near the back stood out from the rest, the shinobi's blood running cold as the ledger snapped shut. Striding back towards the auction master, Naruto ignored the worried questions from Alzack and Bisca as he grabbed the injured man by his shirt, hoisted him up and glared at the now petrified man.

"Who bought lot number 625? WHO!" When Naruto didn't get an answer, he flung the terrified man against a crate, the wounded man crumpling to the ground painfully. Naruto strode forward, pulling the groaning man up and slamming him on top of the crate, a kunai appearing in his hand as he spun it around.

"One more time, who bought lot number 625." The terrified man shook his head, his eyes widening in fear as Naruto raised his kunai over his head and slammed the knife home, it's hardened metal blade biting deeply in to the wooden slats of the crate right next to his ear.

"Last chance! WHO. BOUGHT..."

"Eisenwald! It was Eisenwald!" Naruto let out a deep breath, stowing his kunai as he dropped the sniveling man to the ground. Looking over at his wide eyed teammates, the blonde could only shrug.

"Sorry 'bout that. Sometimes, 'aggressive interrogation' is needed to loosen the tongue. But now we've got a bigger problem. Look at this." Tossing the ledger towards Alzack, the young man quickly skimmed the pages until he found the Lot number Naruto had mentioned, his eyes widening as he looked up in shock. "Yeah, the genius here sold the location of Zeref's Lullaby to a Dark Guild that likes to kill people. Fan-fucking-tastic."

* * *

Half an hour later, the Rune Knights had finished the removal of all the artifacts and the imprisonment of the dark mages was underway. Naruto had spoken with the Head Captain, Lahar, about the situation and was currently in the Captain's temporary office, the shinobi rubbing his chin slowly as he studied the map hung on the wall. Moments later, Lahar entered the room, his hands holding a folder that he was slowly leafing through.

"Our latest intelligence puts Eisenwald's location somewhere near Oshibana. There have been no sightings of their leadership in..." Lahar's voice trailed off as his assistant burst into the room, the heavily breathing man taking a moment before he delivered his message.

"Eisenwald has taken over the Oshibana Train Station Hostage. A team from Fairy Tail is on the scene, but no knows what is occurring inside the building at this time." Naruto spun on his heel, his long strides taking him out of the building until he found Bisca and Alzack.

"I need you two to get back to the guild, I'm going after Eisenwald. I can travel much faster alone, and it looks like I'll have some backup in case I need it." Before Naruto left, Lahar and his assistant exited the building to see him off. Pausing for a moment, Naruto turned back towards the man that had delivered the message.

"Did the reports say what team from Fairy Tail was at the train station?"

"Apparently a new one," The assistant said while consulting the original message. "Consisting of Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster and Erza Scarlet." As soon as Naruto learned the name the final member, he raised his eyes to the heavens.

"Dammit, what the hell did I ever do to you? Huh! She's gonna try and kill me, I just know she will." As Naruto disappeared in a burst of high speed, Lahar turned towards Alzack and Bisca, a concerned expression on his face.

"Is there some kind of problem between Naruto-san and Erza-san?" Alzack and Bisca looked at each other, both laughing nervously before they walked off, leaving a very confused Head captain behind.

Just outside of town

**'You do know it'll take hours to get there, right?'** Naruto let out a soft bark of laughter, pulled up his sleeve and exposed his Sage Bracer.

"Well, time for a long distance test than. Lets see how long we can make this last, Sennin Modo!" A magic seal appeared around Naruto's wrist and he was suddenly filled with Natural energy once more, his pupils changing as the marks of a true sage appearing around his eyes. The empowered shinobi accelerated dramatically, a massive trail of dust was thrown into the air as he continued to accelerate. "Next stop, Oshibana!"

One hour later

Naruto skidded to a halt in front of the Oshibana train station, the shinobi cocking his head to the side as he looked at the massive wall of wind covering the structure. "Huh, that's not something you see everyday."

"Dammit, I've been robbed!" Naruto turned away from the wind covered building, a slightly sick feeling forming in his gut as he drew closer to the man that was screaming. "This girl in armor burst in, said that it was a matter or life and death and stole a Four-Wheeler!" Naruto groaned, having a pretty good idea where this was going.

"Hey Ossan," Naruto said, the shinobi rubbing his temples as a headache started to form. "Did the person that stole the Four-Wheeler have long red hair?" As the man nodded rapidly, Naruto raised his fist to the heavens and growled loudly in frustration before dropping his arm to his sides. "Ok, send a bill to Fairy Tail. Damned impetuous... how long ago did this happen? And which way did she head?"

"Just a few minutes ago! And they were following the train tracks, you can't miss'em!" The owner of the Four-Wheeler shop paused for a moment as his eyes narrowed slightly. "Wait, you mean to tell me she's a member of Fairy Tail? Hang on a second... red hair... armored mage... could she have been Erza Scarlet?" Naruto sighed as he held a hand over his eyes, nodding slowly.

"Yeah, that's her. I better go catch up, this could get ugly." One violent burst of wind later and Naruto was speeding out of the town, his Sage mode still going strong as he raced down the train tracks. A few minutes later, Naruto saw the Four-Wheeler ahead of him and he leaped into the air, landing in front of the vehicle and launching himself forward. Moments later Naruto heard a scream of rage from behind him, causing the Shinobi to glance over his shoulder.

Apparently, the Four-Wheeler driver had gotten a second wind, evidenced by the fact that the vehicle was slowly catching up. Looking into the eyes of the driver, Naruto grinned cockily at Erza, gave her a mock salute before turning forward and racing down the tracks.

"NARUTO! KISAMA!"

With Natsu and Erigor

Natsu's powerful flames propelled the young man forward, a flame coated kick sending Erigor crashing to the ground. As the Shinigami from Eisenwald slowly stood, he watched as Natsu closed in, his flames burning brightly from the anger the Dragon Slayer displayed. Thrusting his arm towards the ground, Erigor launched himself into the sky, his free hand quickly flowing through several handsigns.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, you pest! STORM BRINGER!" Natsu's eyes widened as the attack closed in on him, but it was already too late to dodge it. Crossing his arms in front of him, Natsu prepared for the tornado that was being dropped on him, when fate decided to intervene..

"FUTON: DAITOPPA!" A powerful blast of wind intercepted the tornado, both attacks pushing violently against each other before they canceled each other out in a burst of wind. Natsu grinned widely as he saw a shadowed figure approaching him slowly through the dust.

"YO! Naruto, when did you get here?" As the dust cleared, the grinning visage of Naruto was revealed, his eyes focused on the growling man hovering in the air.

"I heard a rumor that these guys were going to find Lullaby... and look at that, there it is. Looks like I made the right choice in coming here. So, think you can finish him off Natsu?" A loud growl was the dragon slayer's response, one that caused Naruto to laugh loudly. With another burst of speed, Naruto positioned himself on the side of the tracks heading into Clover Town. "All right, I'll stay right here," Naruto said, his arms folded over his chest. "But, if you lose I'm taking him down. Have fun, kid."

With Erza and the Others

"Gray... why did Erza call Naruto a bastard?" Gray noticed that Lucy's gaze was focused on their driver, a driver that was swearing profusely as the raced down the train tracks. The dark Mage Kage, an unwitting passenger on the Four-Wheeler, cowered at the back of the vehicle, completely cowed by the violent aura that was being given off by Erza.

"That rat bastard! Shitty pissant! When I catch him I'm gonna chop off his balls and..." Lucy's eyes widened as the requip mage continued on her litany when Erza suddenly growled loudly in frustration, the celestial spirit mage feeling the Four-Wheeler lurching forward as it picked up speed once more. Lucy focused her gaze on Gray once more, the ice mage sighing at the questioning gaze he was being given.

"Well, about a year ago..."

"IT WAS TEN MONTHS AGO! IF YOU'RE GOING TO TELL IT TO SOMEONE, GET IT RIGHT!" Gray froze at the demonic sounding voice that came from Erza's throat, the ice make mage shivering as he backed away from the drivers seat.

"Right! Right, it was ten months ago...

Flashback – Ten months ago

The beginning of summer in Magnolia is a beautiful time of year, and this day was no different. The members of Fairy Tail were enjoying the wonderful day as they always did, with an overabundance of drinking, laughter and time with their family. A dusty looking Naruto strolled into the guild, patting down his clothing as he watched the rambunctious atmosphere before him with a grin. "Ah, nothing like relaxing after some early morning training."

But before Naruto could approach the bar, a nervous looking Erza appeared before the shinobi, her hands clasped to her chest as she blocked the entrance to the guild. "Um, Naruto... I need to talk to you. It's really important." Naruto smiled as he ruffled Erza's scarlet hair, the action causing the girl to blush faintly.

"Sure thing Erza-chan, what's up?"

"Well, I... I mean we... gah, why is this so hard! Dammit Naruto, I want you to be my boyfriend! Take me out on a date!" Naruto's jaw dropped at the demanding confession, his gaze flicking towards the bar nervously as he watched an ominous black aura surround Mirajane, the barmaid squeezing the glass she had be polishing in her hands tightly.

"Uh... well, I can't say I'm not flattered, but I'm sorry Erza, I can't go on a date with you. You see..." Naruto was cut off as Erza stepped closer, the shinobi stiffening up as Erza jabbed an armored finger into his sternum.

"Why not? We all know you don't have a girlfriend, we're both S-Class mages and we both love to fight, we're perfect for each other!" Naruto gulped loudly as he heard the sound of glass breaking, the glowing form of Mirajane causing Naruto to sweat lightly as he watched a strange mist form around her body.

**'Ah shit, we are at Red Alert, pissed of girlfriend off the starboard bow! Abort! Evade! DAMMIT GAKI, DO SOMETHING!'**

"Well, you see... I… " Naruto trailed off as Erza continued to glare at him, her arms crossed against her armored chest as she waited for his explanation. And once again, the dreaded Uzumaki foot in the mouth disease struck, setting off a chain of events that would have far reaching consequences. "Already... have... one?" Erza's jaw dropped, as well as the jaws of everyone else in the room at the revelation.

"No way!"

"Awesome, I won the pot!"

"Sweet, I've finally got a chance with Mira!"

**'Oh kami, we are SO boned.'**

Naruto watched warily as a smile began to slowly tug at Erza's lips, the young woman trembling slightly as her own dark aura appeared. "Oh, I see... s-so, when can I m-meet her? After all, I have to make sure that she's good enough for you." Naruto began to sweat, his mind racing as he tried to figure a way out of Erza's latest demand when a thunderous crack echoed through the guild hall, the bar counter having somehow broken in half. Naruto watched the massive slab of wood slam into the ground, the furious glare of Mira causing the man to agree with his container.

'Ah shit. Escape plan Delta?'

**'Delta? I'd think you'd wanna go with Epsilon, it's more likely to succeed.'**

'Dammit Kurama, where am I going to find a parade at this time of year? The Harvest Festival is months away! Not to mention, I need a midget to pull it off successfully!'

**'Hmmm, you do have a good point there, I forgot about the midget. How about... hey, is it just me or has it gotten a lot darker out there all of the sudden? Oh shit... gaki? I think she's pissed off that you're ignoring her...'**

Naruto stopped focusing on his conversation with his partner, his gaze only seeing Erza's blazing aura as it reached epic proportions, the shinobi realizing that the time to escape was now.

'Screw it! Omega it is!' Raising his hands in a cross hand sign, Naruto launched himself away from the towering inferno of female rage, the shinobi skidding across the street as he executed his technique. "TAJU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

End flashback

"And so, Naruto successfully escaped in the confusion caused by several thousand copies of himself running around town. And ever since then, whenever Erza sees him, she gets mad that he wouldn't agree with her idea to go out with her and goes ape shit on his ass."

A loud, "I DO NOT!" caused Gray to immediately clam up as Lucy's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Wait, so Naruto isn't scared of Erza at all? He seemed more afraid of this 'girlfriend' he mentioned?" A silent shake of Gray's head caused Lucy to hum softly, her delicate fingers stroking her chin as she thought about the situation.

As Lucy continued to stay lost in her thoughts, she never noticed that the Four Wheeler had stopped suddenly until she heard Erza being screaming again.

"Naruto you bastard! Get over here, you and I have a lot to talk about!" Lucy watched as Naruto chuckled nervously, shrugged at the redhead mage and took off towards Clover Town, a trail of dust following him as he ran once more. 'Dammit, stop ignoring me, Naruto!"

Sighing loudly, Erza climbed off of the vehicle and walked towards Natsu, an impressed expression appearing as she examined the unconscious Erigor at his feet.

"So, did you do this on your own, Natsu, or did Naruto help?" As Natsu launched into a description of the fight, Erza began to sway at her feet but Lucy and Gray both caught her, steadying the young woman. Looking downwards, Erza scowled as she focused on the skull topped flue that had caused this entire mess.

But before she could even think about grabbing the dark artifact, she heard the engine of the Four-Wheeler start up, the large machine speeding towards them. As everyone dove out of the way of the vehicle, a shadowy hand appeared, grabbing Lullaby and placing into the hands of a cackling Kage, the Dark mage crowing in triumph as he sped towards Clover town. Erza struggled to her feet, the younger mages looking towards her in shock.

"After him! We can't let him kill the Guild Masters!"

* * *

Naruto was relaxing on top of the the building that the Masters were meeting in, a silently smoking Makarov seated beside the shinobi.

"And you're sure that it was Lullaby? Not just some kind of knock off?" Naruto shuddered for a moment and nodded.

"Yeah, I could feel dark magic rolling off of it, it gave me the creeps. Hey, there's the Four-Wheeler... wait, that's not Erza. Who is that?" Naruto leaned forward, focusing on the heavily bandaged figure in the drivers seat. After a moment Naruto cocked an eyebrow as shook his head. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was one of my old shinobi buddies, Shikamaru. But, since we're in a different dimension, I'm gonna guess that's not him. Wait... aw shit, he's got Lullaby, he's gotta be part of Eisenwald!" Before Naruto could stand, Makarov grasped the mages arm and shook his head.

"Nah, you've had a long day, I'll handle him." Naruto watched as Makarov leaped atop the still Four-Wheeler, scaring the shit out of the bandaged man. The old master spoke several words to the young man that Naruto couldn't hear, but the shinobi's eyes narrowed as he watched the Eisenwald member raise Lullaby to his lips. A kunai appeared in his hand, the shinobi preparing to throw the weapon when he felt a shift in the night air, a sliver of Makarov's power slipping free and causing the young man to tense up. As the flute fell away from his lips, Naruto watched the old man continue speaking to the Dark Mage, the shinobi grinning as he saw the deadly flute fall to the ground.

Natsu and the others burst out of the shrubs surrounding the house, gathering around Makarov and celebrating loudly. 'Well, looks like everything worked out well in the end. Guess I should go say hi to the Masters, it's been a while since I've seen most of them.'

"YOU MAGES HAVE NO GUTS." Naruto blinked slowly, his attention focused on the now smoking Lullaby, the deep demonic voice coming from the item freezing everyone in their tracks. Naruto leaped to the ground, a now furious Erza recovering quickly as the requip mage pointed at the shinobi angrily, when Naruto cut her tirade off.

"Now is not the time Erza! Deal with the demonic sounding flute now, bitch at me later!"

**'That's assuming there IS a later, gaki.' **

'Stow it Kurama, it's so not the time for that defeatist shit!'

"I CAN'T HOLD IT ANY LONGER, I'LL JUST EAT YOU MYSELF." As smoke spewed forth from the skull shaped flute, Lucy hid behind Naruto fearfully as the haze began to form a shape above them... a very large shape. Naruto whistled loudly as he stared upwards, his gaze filled with the body of the Demon Lullaby.

"Wow, you're kinda... puny. I was expecting you to be bigger." A loud roar silenced Naruto, the shinobi waving a hand slowly before his nose. "Oh kami, and do you need a breath mint!"

"I'M STARVING TO DEATH, SO I'M GOING TO EAT YOUR SOULS."

"Naruto," Lucy said, the Celestial Spirit mage peeking out from behind her human meat shield. "Where did that monster come from?" Before the shinobi could answer, he saw an other Guild Master step forward, Quatro Cerberus' Goldmine, to provide the answer.

"The monster is Lullaby itself, it's made through living magic. The magic that Zeref used. Long time no see Naruto, sucks about the circumstances." As Goldmine finished speaking, Bob of Blue Pegasus pipped up.

"Oh Naruto, good to see you. Who knew that we'd be paying for the darkest of all Mage's mistakes hundreds of years after he died."

"NOW, WHO'S SOUL DO I GET TO EAT FIRST?" As all the mages looked at each other, Erza pointed at Naruto, the shinobi glaring at the woman and laughed sardonically.

"Oh yes, eat me, I would love to volunteer. Actually that's probably a bad idea, you'd most likely get indigestion... or burn up form the inside out from the powers I use, either or."

"SILENCE. I HAVE DECIDED, I WILL CONSUME YOU ALL, RIGHT NOW!"

"FŪTON: ATSUGAI!" Lucy screamed loudly as a large blast of wind flew towards Lullaby, the dense sphere of wind chakra shearing off the demon's arm. The gathered mages watched as the appendage fell to the ground, the mages all looking towards the normally cheerful shinobi with wide eyed stares. Naruto stared back, shruging his shoulders as he jerked a thumb towards then apparently shocked demon. "What? He was pissing me off! LET'S KICK HIS ASS!"

Gray and Natsu both ran forward, their battle cries echoing across the wooded area, while Erza leaped to the sky, her Heaven's Wheel armor surrounded by magical blades. Naruto grinned cockily as he watched Lullaby back away, it's uncertainty evident as he watched the charging mages.

"MAYBE THIS WAS A BAD IDEA."

* * *

And that's a wrap! Till next time!


	5. Chapter 4

Rejoice, for another chapter is now available! Heh, I had about half of this already written for chapter three originally but it kinda grew to be larger than I intended, which according to your reviews is a good thing, ost people seemed to enjoy the silliness. SO! Onward! This chapter is a bit more dramatic, people are asking about what happened between Naruto and Elfman, so here it is! Read, review, tell me what I've done well and what sucks! Otherwise, how can I make it better?

* * *

The burning sands of the desert brought a fond smile to Naruto's face, his mind remembering his friends from Suna. 'Temari, Kankuro... Garra.' A sigh escaped the shinobi as he followed the group before him, an all to happy Natsu leading them towards the nearest town.

"What's wrong Naruto-san?" Naruto glanced over, a concerned Lucy studying the man that walked beside her.

"Nothing Lucy-chan, just old memories of friends... friends I haven't seen for a long time." Naruto offered the young mage a comforting smile as the pair continued to walk in silence.

"Ano..." Naruto looked over once more, a nervous expression having replaced Lucy's earlier concern. "Before we went after Lullaby, I spoke with Mirajane, I wanted to know why you and Elfman didn't get along. Mira said that I should ask you for the full story."

Naruto sighed as the group finally reached the outskirts of Kunugi, the seven members of Fairy Tail deciding that it was in their best interests to skirt around Oshibana after Naruto related his experience with the Four-Wheeler's owner. Looking over at the young woman, Naruto's gaze narrowed, causing the Lucy to fidget.

"Alright, once we get on the train, you and I will find a quiet place to talk."

Chapter 4

As the train rapidly raced down the tracks, Lucy was staring out the window as the scenery flew by, a small frown appearing as she remembered what had happened once she and her friends had boarded the train.

Flashback – 15 minutes earlier

"Absolutely not! I forbid it! Lucy shouldn't be alone with you, who knows what you'll do to her! None of my team is going to be going with you, it'd be best of you go find your own seat somewhere else on the train!" Naruto sighed loudly, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the fuming Erza, his expression decidedly bored as he yawned loudly.

"I'm sorry, I must have missed the memo where you control my life. LUCY asked me for some information, I am going to give it to her. Unless, you'd rather do it, that is."

"Absolutely! Anything that Lucy could ever need to know about Fairy Tail can be answered by Natsu, Gray or myself!" Naruto's expression turned thoughtful, the blonde stroking his chin a few times before nodding slowly.

"Alright then, you get to tell her what happened the night I arrived to find Elfman transformed into a mindless Beast, and the aftermath that took place." Quickly spinning around, Naruto began to walk towards the end of the car, but a hand gripping the back of his shirt stopped the man in his tracks. Turning his head over his shoulder, Naruto saw Erza's bowed head, her hand gripping his clothing tightly as her shoulders shook. Turning back around, Naruto gently placed his hands on Erza's shoulders, his voice soft as he spoke to the woman before him.

"Now you understand why I have to tell her, right?" Erza's head bobbed up and down slowly, a sigh escaping Naruto's lips as he ruffled the woman's hair softly. Looking up, Naruto saw that Lucy, Gray and Natsu were all staring at the pair in wide eyed wonder at the scene before them. Motioning with his head towards the car behind him, Lucy quickly passed by a still Erza, looking over her shoulder for a moment at her team before exiting the car.

End Flashback

Lucy sighed, the reaction that Naruto had caused in Erza after mentioning the event causing the blonde to have second thoughts at learning the story, that is until a nearby voice intruded on her conflicted thoughts.

"So, I couldn't find a food car," Naruto said, a pile of wrapped packaged falling gently to the table before the shinobi sat across from the celestial spirit mage. "But I did find a cart full of snacks, dig in." Lucy reached her hand forward, a chocolate cake grasped delicately in her hands as a wicked gleam appeared in her eye.

"Yes, this will do nicely..." Naruto snickered loudly as he grabbed his own snack, the shinobi watching intently as the young girl wolfed down the treat, a sigh of contentment causing Naruto to shake his head merrily.

"Ok, chocolate cake is a good ice breaker with you, got it. So, you had questions... questions about 'That night', correct?" As Lucy nodded slowly, a sigh passed Naruto's lips as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes losing their focus as he remembered what had occurred.

"Well, to start off, two years ago I was being used by the council for most of their top secret missions, real shadowy stuff. Any time I had in between a mission was spent with the members of Fairy Tail, helping out on their missions or lazing around the guild. It was fun, it seemed like we were on top of the world and nothing could touch us." Naruto's eyes hardening as he focused on Lucy, a shiver traveling down the young girls spine at the intense look thrown her way.

"We were wrong."

Flashback – 2 years ago

Naruto leaned against the bar, a content smile tugging at his lips as he gazed around the guild hall, his fellow guild members laughing loudly as they did what they did best, living their lives to the fullest. Looking over to his right, Naruto laughed silently as he watched Makarov chug his beer, the old man letting out a content sigh before flashing the shinobi a ear to ear grin. 'Heh, it's almost enough to make me forget about wanting to go back to Konoha...'

"Naruto-nii!" Naruto turned towards the exuberant voice of Lisanna, the young take over mage having thrown herself towards the content shinobi while giggling loudly. Naruto wrapped him arms around the lithe girl before him, squeezing her tightly against him before standing tall.

"Lisanna! What's my favorite little trouble maker getting up to now?" Lisanna giggled cutely while Mirajane approached the pair, her sultry smile causing Naruto smirk confidently at the girl before him. "Mirajane. A pleasure to see you again, did you miss me?" Mirajane smirked as she stepped forward, her goth clothing drawing Naruto's gaze to her sizable... 'attributes'. A delicate finger gently poked the shinobi's chest, forcing Naruto back into his seat as Mira winked at the shinobi.

"Now Naruto," Mirajane said, her sultry grin never leaving her face. "We both know it was you who has been missing me." Naruto laughed softly, his eyes briefly focusing on Lisanna as she pouted cutely. The shinobi forced himself to keep a straight face as his enhanced hearing picked up Lisanna's mumbling voice.

"Mira-nee really should just confess to Naruto-nii, he obviously likes her..." Naruto shook his head as he focused back on Mirajane, the eldest Take over sibling having taken a seat at the bar beside Naruto.

"So Mira, any jobs on the horizon for team Take Over?" Mira's eyes flashed brightly as she pulled a mission request from her cleavage, her hands gently placing the sheet on the bar in front of Naruto. The shinobi watched the spectacle with raised eyebrows, Lisanna giggling cutely in the background as Mira continued to smirk.

* * *

"She did not!" Naruto took the opportunity to drink a glass of water as Lucy stopped him in his narration.

"Oh yes she did! Hell, you can ask her yourself when we get back! Now, the job..."

* * *

Naruto's eyes began to scan the request, his gaze changing from curious to shock very quickly.

Without even realizing it, Naruto was now staring at Mira, a sick feeling in his stomach slowly growing as he placed the request on the bar. "The Beast? Mira, you're taking your sister and brother up against the Beast? Isn't that a little much for their first S-Class mission?" Mira glared weakly at the shinobi, her hand flashing towards the request and stuffing it back between her breasts.

"I'm an S class mage, I can handle a request like this! I can take care of myself, you don't need to babysit me!" Naruto sighed, running a hand over his face as he faced the young woman beside him.

"I know I don't have to take care of you, you're an accomplished and talented mage. But the King of Beasts is on a whole different level than what you've worked with before. At least let me come with you, I can hang back and let you three handle it unless there's a problem. How about it? You know you wanna..." Naruto smiled roguishly at Mira, watching the young woman's resolve slowly crumble, that is until a deep voice above the pair decided to add his two cents.

"Naruto, with Mira and Lisanna, we three should be enough for this job. As a man, I will protect my family, no matter what threatens us." Naruto looked up at the taller Elfman, his gaze boring into the male Take Over mage.

"I understand how you feel Elfman, but sometimes your desire to protect your loved ones isn't enough." Looking back towards Mirajane, Naruto saw that her resolve had been restored and the eldest Strauss rose to her feet.

"Don't worry Naruto, we'll be fine. When I get back, we should go out together somewhere... just the two of us." Naruto's worried gaze followed the once again confident Mirajane as she left with Elfman at her side. Looking to his right, Naruto saw that Lisanna's worried gaze as she watched her family walking towards the exit. Naruto looked at the youngest Strauss and ruffled her hair, pulling a brush from his hip pouch and a pot of ink.

"Lisanna, I need you to do me a favor. If things start to go south during your mission, I need you to let me know, I've got a bad feeling about this one." Lisanna watched in wonder as Naruto rapidly created a seal on her wrist, the small symbol pulsing brightly when the shinobi laid his finger on the finished characters. "Go ahead, touch it." Lisanna reached out a finger, gently pushing against the seal that now adorned her skin, a giggle passing her lips at the flare of heat that this action evoked, the young girl looking up at a grinning Naruto as he showed a slightly larger version of the same seal on his wrist.

"So, if something bad happens, just push it and you'll come running? But we'll be in Balsam Village, it's a few hours walk from Magnolia. Won't you be too late to help?" Naruto stood tall, his chest thrust out as he placed a foot one of the bar stools as he flexed his muscles, the effect of the dramatic pose causing Lisanna to nearly collapse in a fit of giggles.

"Never fear, wherever there is danger, Kage shall appear in a flash!" Naruto grinned widely at the giggling girl before him, the shinobi walking towards Lisanna and placing a hand on her shoulder , causing the girl's giggled to slowly trail off. "Seriously though, I've got an ace up my sleeve, been saving it up for the last year or so. If there is trouble, let me know and I'll be there. I promise."

"Lisanna! Where are you?" Leaping forward, Lisanna wrapped Naruto in another bone crushing hug before racing towards her brother and sister. Naruto watched as the trio exited the guild, the sick feeling in his stomach continuing as he sat at the bar once more, waiting.

* * *

"I should have just followed them. I wanted to believe in Mira so much though, that I didn't. And by the time I found out there was trouble, it was too late." Naruto was about to continue his story when a flash of light appeared beside Lucy, the small form of Plue appearing. The dog spirit sat in Lucy's lap, causing the Celestial Spirit Mage to hold her companion close as Naruto continued with his tale.

* * *

Standing atop the tallest building in Magnolia, Naruto watched the bustling night life below him, a small smile appearing as he raised his wrist, looking the seal that adorned it.

"Heh, maybe I was just being paranoid. Well, better safe than sorr..." Naruto's voice trailed off as he felt a flare of heat blossom to life on his wrist, the shinobi's eyes widening as turned towards Balsam village. Leaping into the air, Naruto landing heavily on another rooftop as he rapidly made his way towards the edge of the city.

'SHIT! Kurama, I'm gonna need that little bit of Natural energy we've been saving up for the last year!'

**'The hell gaki, it's only good for about ten minutes!'**

'THEN I BETTER MAKE THOSE TEN MINUTES COUNT! DO IT NOW!' Naruto felt the natural energy he had painstakingly gathered merge with his own chakra, the change to sage mode passing in the blink of an eye. Naruto's blurred form vanished, a boom of displaced air the only sign of his passing.

Balsam Village

Naruto arrived at the once prosperous town, his head shaking slowly as he watched the flames consuming the building stretched out before him. A loud roar split the night air, the shinobi leaping towards the town quickly. As Naruto quickly navigated the inferno, he felt his Sage mode give out, the shinobi growling loudly as he pushed himself harder to find the Beast. 'Knowing Mira, she'll be right in the middle of it! And if Mira's there, then her sister and Elfman are too...' Naruto's thoughts faltered as he reached the edge of town, the scene before him causing the shinobi to freeze in his tracks.

Lisanna was standing before the Beast, her arms stretched out as she stepped closer towards the creature. Naruto began running forward but it was too late as the Beast swung it's clawed arm downward, batting Lisanna out of it's path. Naruto watched in shock as Lisanna was throw into the nearby forest, the tortured scream of, "LISANNA!" causing his chakra to roil dangerously as he stared at the creature with hate filled eyes.

**'No mercy, kill it.' ** Naruto roared in fury, his chakra blazing to life around him when suddenly he disappeared from sight. A chakra enhanced axe kick slammed the surprised creature to the ground, a furious Naruto standing over the prone creature as he quickly gathered chakra in his open hand, the shinobi looking towards the Beast as he tried to decide where he could strike to kill it instantly.

"NARUTO, NO! DON'T KILL IT, THAT'S ELFMAN!" The rasengan that Naruto had been forming quickly winked out, the shinobi looking behind him at an anguished Mirajane. While watching the tears fall from her cheeks, Naruto heard the Beast rise up, it's roar shaking the very ground beneath it. Naruto's features hardened as he turned back to the rampaging Take Over Mage, his hand slipping into his hip pouch.

"Mira, find Lisanna. I'll handle Elfman."

* * *

Naruto paused in his story, a hand briefly passing over his eyes while Lucy stared at the shinobi in wide eyed shock. "For a minute, I was tempted to kill him, I was so... so angry. But that look in Mira's eyes, I... I couldn't do it."

* * *

Naruto panted heavily, the dozen clones that he created in similar straights, but in the end they had done it. Elfman was currently being restrained by a gravity seal, while a tag Naruto had been working on for several months began to drain the magical energy from Elfman, canceling out the Take Over spell he as under. Leaving his clones to watch over his fellow mage, Naruto raced into the forest, his enhanced hearing picking up Mira's sobs.

The shinobi burst into a clearing, the scene before him nearly causing him to fall to his knees. Lisanna laid on the ground, Mira clutching her sister's hand in her own as tears unashamedly ran down her face.

"It's ok Mira-nee. Look, Naruto came, just like he said he would." Naruto felt the sting of tears as he walked forward, his hand reaching out and grasping Lisanna's free hand in his own.

"Yeah, how could I not come? You're all too important to me to lose..." Naruto paused for a moment, tears spilling down his cheeks as he gently squeezed Lisanna's hand.

"Naruto-nii... take care of Mira-nee, she l-loves you s-so much... and don't let Elf-nii give up, h-he's gonna blame himself for this. P-please help him..." Naruto bent over, his lips kissing Lisanna's forehead softly.

"I promise."

End flashback

Naruto's raised his head to the ceiling, the memories forcing him to regain control of his emotions once more. After a few moments, Naruto looked over at Lucy, tears running down her cheeks as she held Plue in her arms.

"After we got back to Fairy Tail, Mira lost the will to fight as her magic slowly began to fade. So, she supports the guild anyway that she can, without having to fight. Elfman... he vowed to never attempt a Full Boy take over again, he ran from his fears and responsibilities. He says he's a man, but he's acting like a coward. That's the real reason why I don't get along with Elfman." Naruto stood up, his hand patting Plue gently on his head as he passed Lucy a handkerchief.

"I'll see you back at the guild hall, I need to clear my head." Lucy watched as Naruto opened the window beside her, and after an impressive feat of contortionism he pulled himself atop the train before leaping to the ground, the powerful shinobi racing beside the train for a few moments before speeding past it.

Fairy Tail Guild Hall

Mira smiled brightly as she passed the tables around her, the men of Fairy Tail praising the beauty as they drank their fill. A loud slam of the door attracted everyone's attention, but it was the dead look in Naruto's eyes that caused all conversation in the guild to die out, and Mira to run towards him in concern. As Mira neared the shinobi, Naruto reached forward, pulling Mira into his arms as he cried, the former Take Over mage holding the man in her arms as their fellow mages turned away, giving the pair as much privacy as they could as they studied their drinks before them.

Several minutes passed and Naruto looked into Mira's eyes, the dead look that he had previously now gone. "I guess it's time to let these things go, ne?" Mira sniffled a bit as she nodded, her arms pulling Naruto towards the bar. But before the pair could reach it, Naruto stopped Mira and faced a stoic looking Elfman.

"Elfman, get your gear and meet me here in twenty minutes." Elfman nodded brusquely, rising from his chair and exiting the guild without saying a word. Naruto finally let Mira drag him towards the bar, the emotionally drained shinobi accepting the drink placed before him. As Naruto sipped his drink, Mira leaned forward, her insistent stare causing the man to smile briefly. "Don't worry, I'm just going to help Elfman, like I promised. If I can get through his thick skull, that is."

Mira giggled softly as she leaned closer to Naruto. "Good luck with that, he's almost as stubborn as you are." Naruto hardheartedly glared at Mira, the woman's only response was another soft giggle.

The guild members slowly began speaking again, sensing that the worst had passed, forcing Mira to leave Naruto on his own ar the bar as she raced to fill orders once more. Naruto sighed as he finished his drink, spinning on the bar stool and watching his nakama once more, a nostalgic smile appearing slowly.

'Heh, I haven't seen you smile like that in a long time." Looking to his right, Naruto watched Cana sit on the stool beside him, the card mage punching the shinobi lightly in the shoulder before raising a barrel of beer to her lips.

"Hey Cana. Yeah, it has been a while. It just feels... right, you know? That new girl, Lucy... she kinda reminds me of Lisanna." Cana slowly lowered her barrel, a contemplative look on her face before nodding.

"Yeah, she kinda does, doesn't she?" Naruto smiled as he softly punched Cana's shoulder, the pair laughing softly as they watched their fellow guild mates. After twenty minutes, Naruto looked at the doorway as Elfman entered the guild once more, his rucksack in his hands. Pushing himself to his feet, Naruto grinned at Cana before walking towards the taller man, the entire guild watching as the pair exited the building.

As the pair silently walked to the edge of Magnolia, Elfman decided that he would take it upon himself to break said silence. "Where are we headed, Naruto-san?"

"Camping, Elfman... we're going camping."

Later that evening

The roaring fire the pair sat around was a welcome comfort, it's flames holding the chill of night at bay. Elfman groaned as he relaxed before the flames, the long hike to reach this place having actually been somewhat of a challenge. 'I've gotten too used to taking trains, I'm getting soft.'

Elfman watched as Naruto expertly continued to prepare a late night meal, the shinobi working rapidly as he had done this hundreds of times before. Elfman continued to stare at the roaring flames, his wandering mind barely catching the tail end of the words that Naruto had directed at him. "I'm sorry Naruto-san, could you repeat that?"

Naruto sighed softly as he threw a stick in the fire, the shinobi clasping his hands before him. "I said that you and I are going to work this out. Mira-chan wants us to get past this problem we have and I'm sick of your avoidance of it. Do you have any idea why I am so angry with you?" Elfman watched as Naruto stared directly at him, his neutral expression locking onto Elfman's haunted gaze as he nodded slowly.

"I killed Lisanna," Elfman said, a tear rolling down his cheek as he relived the painful memories. "It's my fault that she's dead."

Elfman's eyes widened as Naruto disappeared, a blast of air the only indication that he had even been there. The shinobi suddenly reappearing before the stunned man, grabbing Elfman's clothing and throwing him roughly against a large tree. Elfman groaned loudly as he slowly stood, his eyes widening as he felt the cold steel of a kunai held against his throat. Looking at the person holding the weapon, Naruto's anger was literally rolling off of him in waves, his eyes a deep crimson as he growled at the still mage.

"You stupid bastard! Have you been taking lessons from Natsu on how to be an idiot!? I'm pissed off because you gave up! I offered to help you learn how to control your full body take over, but you brushed me off, saying that that you would just never use it again! Lisanna begged me before she died to not let you give up, but no matter what I did, you never listened! I broke a promise, A PROMISE to Lisanna and it was your fault!" Elfman felt his anger growing as he glared at Naruto, the mage grasping the shinobi's arm and pushing him away, a magic seal appearing on his right shoulder as his Arm of the Black Bull appeared.

"Of course, Naruto always has the answers! You can't even use Take Over, how could you possibly help me! This is the extent of what I can do, I tried to something that was beyond me and I paid the price for my pride! I KILLED MY SISTER!" Naruto's glare returned, the shinobi returning his kunai to the pouch at his waist before sitting down once more.

"Sit down Elfman, I'm going to tell you a story. Which means I talk, you listen." Elfman was about to argue when he felt the air bearing down on him, forcing the man to sit once more Incidentally, it was the furious glare from Naruto that finally convinced the Take over Mage that now was not the time to push the blonde seated before him. As soon as Elfman sat down, Naruto handed him a bowl of the food he had prepared, the shinobi taking a deep breath before he began his story.

"Many years ago, there was a man, a sage that was the spiritual leader of a far off country. His homeland was under attack from a creature of unimaginable power, nothing could be done by the people to stop it's rampage. This sage finally discovered a way to defeat the creature, he was forced to take the being into his own body, becoming a container for the beast. After many years, the man used his powers to split the creature into pieces, each of them creating their own unique, separate being. After the sage died, the nine creatures scattered across the world, living as they saw fit." Naruto looked up, seeing that Elfman was still paying attention to him, so he continued his tale.

"That is, until they were caught by humans and imprisoned, just like the original creature. Many of them fought against their containers, causing havoc and destruction as they broke free of their shackles. Others accepted their fates, working hand in hand with their new jailors." Naruto paused in his story, his bemused expression causing Elfman to lean forward, a niggling suspicion telling the mage that this wasn't just some random story that Naruto was making up.

"The most powerful of all the creatures was the Kyubi no Yoko, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox. Several people had been it's container, but none had managed to successfully harness it's power, or gain it's respect. Then one day, the Kyubi was sealed into an infant, a orphan whose parents had died during one of it's rampages. For thirteen years, the boy had no idea that he housed a creature of terrifying power inside of him, but then one day it was revealed to him." Naruto paused for a moment, sampling the food he had prepared before continuing.

"As the boy grew, he tried to use the power he contained, but each time he did he had to fight to not lose himself to the bloodlust and anger he felt. Sometimes he succeeded, other times he failed. But he always fought back, he always kept trying, he NEVER GAVE UP. Eventually, he gained the respect of the Kyubi, and the two of them fought as a team, their powers growing to mythic levels as they tried to turn the tide of a world war." Elfman swallowed loudly, his eyes never leaving the man before his as he listened intently to the story that was being revealed to him.

"After the war, this boy was heralded as the new Sage, but his partnership with Kyubi making him too powerful to stay in the village he had called home. And so he wandered, until one day during a celebration, he fell through a portal and found himself in a new world. The first person he met challenged him to a fight, that damn Natsu and his cheap shots." Naruto's calm eyes locked onto Elfman's shocked gaze, his bowl of food having fallen when the Take Over mage had realized what Naruto was telling him.

"Jiji and Mira are the only other people that know about that, if I find out that anyone knows that story, I'll know it was you that told them." Naruto said, the blonde slowly finishing off his food as he let Elfman think about his story for a moment. "So no, I don't have all the answers, but I do know what it's like to fight against something that wants to take over your soul." Elfman looked at his hands in his lap, tears rolling down his cheeks as he realized what Naruto had been trying to tell him all this time. A hand resting on his shoulder caused Elfman to look up, a somber looking Naruto meeting the crying man's gaze.

"I forgave you years ago for the death of Lisanna, it was an accident. But, I couldn't forgive you for trampling on her faith in you. She stood right in front of your beast form, believing that you would take control back before you attacked her. Prove her right, show me that her faith in you was not misplaced. I'm heading to bed, when you have your answer, we'll get to work." Naruto turned around and entered his tent, leaving a humbled Elfman alone with his thoughts as he stared into the fire.

The next day

Naruto yawned loudly, the blonde grumbling at having to wake up alone in bed as he wandered away from the campsite, needing to take care of some 'business'. As he finished, Naruto returned to the camp, his hand slapping against the canvas tent he had setup for Elfman.

"Oi, Elfman, wake up." Several moments passed but no sound was heard from the inside of the tent. "Oi, Elfman!" Naruto ripped open the door, the empty tent before his gaze surprising the shinobi. Several moments passed before a loud yell was heard, the sound coming from a nearby clearing. Naruto yawned as he lazily made his way there, the shinobi leaning against a tree as he watched Elfman working on his Take Over magic. Naruto watched in interest as a magic seal appeared in front of Elfman, one large enough to cover the mage's entire body. After several moments, Elfman collapsed to the ground, panting loudly. Naruto pushed himself off the tree, walking towards the larger man and smiling brightly.

"It looks like you have your answer, Elfman." The panting mage nodded slowly, his breathing finally coming back under his control as he stood.

"Yes... I need to show you that my sister's faith was not misplaced. Where do we start?" Naruto grinned evilly, a dark aura appearing around his as Elfman tried to slowly back away.

"Training... lots and lots of training."

One week later

Night had fallen, the muggy day giving way to the cool night air that passed through Magnolia. A pair of dirty men entered the city, their slow stride showing their fatigue as they paused at the city gates. Elfman groaned loudly as he looked over at Naruto, the blonde still grinning even after the long hike back to civilization.

"How can you still be smiling? We were attacked by a band of lizard men! They were discussing how to cook me up for their dinner!" Naruto laughed loudly as he slapped Elfman on the shoulder, the Take Over mage's annoyed look fading as he began to laugh heartily.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad..."

"Naruto, they were torn between boiling me alive in hot oil, or chopping me up so that they could saute me. And don't think I didn't hear you try and give them suggestions!" Naruto raised his hands before himself, his laughter causing the shinobi to nearly fall on his ass.

"Yes...hehehe, I did give them suggestions.. suggestions that allowed us time to escape, I might add." Grumbling loudly, Naruto slung his arm over Elfman's shoulders as the pair entered the town.

"So... are we good now, Naruto?" Naruto stopped for a moment, his eyes boring deeply into Elfman's before he sighed.

"We're better than we were. These things take time, just like your Full Take Over. You've made progress, keep at it and you'll get it. And just like that, we'll have to keep at it, eventually we'll be back to the way things were two years ago. Now I don't know about you, but I could use a drink." Elfman groaned as he turned towards his home.

"No way, I'm too tired, I'm be heading home." As Elfman slowly made his way towards home, Naruto yawned loudly before walking towards the Guild Hall, the shinobi having a suspicion that even though it was late, someone was still there. As Naruto approached the entrance, a soft smile appeared as he saw the glowing lines of a security seal he had created, his hands brushing against the glowing bar of light. The seal recognized his chakra and immediately deactivated, allowing the shinobi to pass. As Naruto looked around the darkened room, a single lamp at the bar caught his attention and he grinned at the sight of Mira, sleeping with her head cradled in her arms at the bar.

Chuckling softly, Naruto stepped into the empty guild hall, making his way towards the sleeping woman. Once he reached her, Naruto noticed the seal that was placed on Mira's inner wrist, the same seal he had put on Lisanna the last time he had seen her. Leaning forward, Naruto pecked her cheek, an action that woke the ivory haired woman immediately. Seeing a grinning Naruto before her, Mira moaned softly as she stretched her arms over her head before she jumped into Naruto's arms.

"Hey, welcome home." Naruto grinned as he leaned in for a kiss, Mira's arms wrapping around the blonde's neck as she pulled him flush against her. After a proper greeting, Mira pulled back, her arms still holding Naruto close as she smiled sleepily at the shinobi. "So, how did it go?"

"Better. Things are better. He's still not quite ready for a Full Boy Take over, but he's made a lot of progress. And we're getting along now... wait, what's that sound?" Naruto glanced outside, a sound similar to cloth rasping over metal catching his attention. Mira looked up at her boyfriend in concern, watching in surprise as Naruto's eyes widened.

"MOVE!" Mira felt Naruto pick her up in his arms, the action surprising the woman when she saw a massive iron club punch through the guild wall, the rapidly approaching weapon heading straight for the couple. Naruto leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding being skewered, when another club punched through guild's wall, causing the blonde to dash for the exit. Mira gripped onto Naruto tightly as he skidded to a halt, a trio of the clubs slamming into the floor, cutting of his escape. Growling loudly, Naruto watched helplessly as the guild was riddled with the gigantic weapons, the floor bucking as it started to break apart. "Hang on!"

Leaping into the air, Naruto landed on top of one of the clubs and ran up it's length, his chakra coated feet clinging tenaciously to the iron shaft. As the pair neared the roof, Naruto adjusted his grip and thrust a now freed hand forward. "FŪTON: DAITOPPA!"

Outside of the guild hall

'Hmmm, I wonder if I went a little overboard with my... greeting, gihihihi.' As a shadowy being rose to his feet, a violent blast of air ripped through the roof of the guild hall, throwing large amounts of debris into the air. A blurred figure quickly bounded out of the hole, stopping once it reached the top of the guild.

'Well well well, what do we have here...'

* * *

Panting loudly, Naruto checked to make sure Mira was ok, the barmaid shaking her head as she held Naruto's face between her hands.

"I'm ok, we're both ok." Naruto's leaned forward and kissed Mira swiftly, the shinobi pulling back as he scanned the buildings surrounding the guild. Naruto's gaze hardened as he looked across the street, a shadowy being swiftly leaping across the roof tops having caught his eye. Leaping towards the ground, Naruto let Mira down as he watched the figure swiftly get away.

"What are you waiting for, go after him!" Naruto looked down at Mira in surprise, a smirk appearing on her lips as Mira pushed her boyfriend after the man on the roof. "Go on, show that guy not to mess with Fairy Tail!" Naruto grinned as he leaped towards the rooftops, sprinting as he tried to catch up to the man that had done this. Several minutes into the chase, the man that Naruto was chasing spun around, a magic seal forming before him as he stood his ground.

"_Tetsuryū no Hōkō!"_ Naruto's eyes widened as a powerful Tornado barreled towards him, the sharp shards of metal laced in the force of nature ripping into the shinobi's skin. As the attack faded, the dark man grinned evilly, watching the shinobi's body drop to the roof in a pool of his own blood. Instead of running, the dark man landed beside the downed Naruto, his laugh echoing across the night sky.

"Aw, poor little Fairy had it's wings clipped? Gihihihi!" As the man continued laughing at the injured shinobi before him, he never noticed a second person appear behind him, a sharp blade flashing in the moonlight. "That's what you get for messing with PhantomGHAK!" The man's voice cut off as a powerful hand clamped down on his wind pipe, the clone before him bursting into smoke. The man tried to pull free from the hand that held him captive, but once he felt the sharp tip of Naruto's kunai he stopped moving.

"Gajeel Redfox, Phantom Lord's Iron Dragon Slayer. Didn't Jose tell you that it's a bad idea to piss me off?"


	6. Chapter 5

Alright, this is it! No more until March, I swear it, no matter how much you beg, plead, review... well, reviews may work... I decided to give this to you before I finished for the month, hope you enjoy the changes from canon!

* * *

"GAHHH! COLD!" Gajeel coughed loudly, the Iron Dragon Slayer shaking his head as his soaked hair fell into his face. The Phantom Lord Ace could feel the bonds that were shackled to his wrists, a stiff yank confirmed that Gajeel wasn't going to get them off of himself anytime soon. Craning his head left and right, trying to get an idea of where he was, Gajeel growled lowly when all that met his eyes was darkness, with the exception of a lit candle before him, the room's only source of light. "Where am I!? Let me outta here right now dammit!"

The sound of shuffling feet had Gajeel's head whipping to his left, his sensitive eyes barely making out the outline of a person standing there. "Who the hell are you! Let me out of this fucking place! NOW!" Gajeel froze as a new sound appeared, the sound of steel rasping along stone. After a moment, the dragon slayer heard the same sound again, realizing it was a metallic door. A new figure approached Gajeel from behind, the bound man struggling once more to try and get a look at the newcomer.

"Mr. Redfox, I'd advise that you... cease your struggles." A low growl was Gajeel's only answer, his eyes focusing on the man as he stepped into the meager candlelight.

His clothing was an immediate give away, there wasn't a mage alive that didn't recognize the uniform of the Rune Knights. But the strangest thing was that the man was wearing sunglasses... indoors... in the dark. The sound of a very heavy folder hitting the table caused the Iron Dragon Slayer to growl softly before he settled down. The Rune Knight sat down slowly, opening the file before him and leafing through several pages in silence. Finally, the man reached up, pulled his sunglasses from his face and slowly placed them to his left. "Thank you. Now, as you can see we have been following your exploits for quite some time. You're a member of the Guild Phantom Lord, one of the few S-class mages that made up it's leadership. Yet, we had heard troubling rumors about other guilds other activities that you have participated in, everything ranging from kidnapping to embezzlement. You are here today due to one of these... 'questionable' activities. Do you know where you are, Mr Redfox?"

Gajeel's shook his head slowly, his eyes focused on the man before him as the Rune Knight folded his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair before Gajeel decided to speak. "How about you tell me where I am? After all, it's kinda hard to know for sure when I wake up in a pitch black room. Last thing thing, I remember was on top of a building in Magnolia, while... I can't remember, I can't remember what happened after that!"

"Ah yes, memory loss. It's a side effect of the coma, the doctors say that..."

"Wait, what!? WHAT COMA?" Gajeel began to struggle against his bonds once more, but a silent glare from the man sitting across the table from him cause Gajeel to settle down slowly.

"As I was saying, Mr. Redfox, the coma had several side effects, long term memory loss is one of them. You've been asleep for 10 years. But none of that is important, what is important is that you are here, and the knowledge you possess may be able to shed some light on a mystery that has confounded us for quite some time. Ten years ago, after you had been caught by the S-Class mage Uzumaki Naruto, you were beaten within an inch of your life, causing you to fall into a coma. Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail went to war with each other, thanks to your actions. But, there was no victor, both sides were destroyed. None of us on the council knew what happened, not even what the root cause of the conflict was. That, is where you come in, Mr Redfox." Gajeel's eyes widened as his muscles slackened, his head slowly shaking back and forth as he continued to stare at the man before him. Gajeel watched as the Rune Knight stood stiffly, gathering the file once more before finally stepping beside the bound Dragon Slayer.

"I know that this is a shock, so I'll leave you alone so that you may... reflect on the situation." Gajeel's silence was enough for the man to step out of the room, the guard that had awoken Gajeel leaving as well. As the door closed, the displaced air extinguished the candle, plunging the shocked Dragon Slayer into darkness.

Outside of the room

As the door lock clicked into place, the guard turned towards the Rune Knight, a wide grin dominating his features.

"So, you think he bought it?" The Rune Knight grinned evilly, his features obscured by smoke for a moment before Naruto's face appeared, his hands rubbing together in a most diabolical fashion.

"Hehehe, with those seals I placed around the room he can't hear a thing we're saying out here. We're going to be the only people that he will be seeing, so what ever we decide to tell him will become his reality. The more we hammer him with it, the less likely his is to argue with what we tell him." The guard nodded before transforming back into her normal form, Mira laughed lightly before walking towards the blonde, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing a loving kiss on his lips.

"Now, with a little effort, and a lot of bullshitting, we can find out what exactly Phantom Lord's plan is. Now, get over here." Mira grinned happily as she wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck, the pair continuing their interrupted activities from earlier in the night. After several minutes, Naruto reapplied his henge, Mira transformed once more and the pair reentered the darkened room. A brief flare of a match showed the shocked face of Gajeel, causing Naruto to internally grin as he lit the candle once more.

"So, Mr. Redfox, I need you to tell me everything that you know about this War that was started with Fairy Tail. Otherwise you will be spending a very long time in a cell just like this one."

Chapter 5

Two days later

Naruto sighed as he looked upwards, his arms crossed over his chest as he surveyed the damaged guild building before him. "Hmmm, it'd probably be cheaper to just demolish the thing and start over." A quick hand sign and a dozen clones appeared, the original ending them off to check on some information on repairing the guild. "Of course, a ruined guild is the least of our worries."

Flashback – Yesterday

Naruto looked across the room at a strangely serious Makarov, the old man's face betraying none of the anger that Naruto could sense off of the man.

"And you're positive that this is correct?" Naruto nodded slowly, a sigh escaping his lips as he sat in a chair in front of the master's desk.

"As far as I can tell it is, he's not lying, that's for sure. And the clones I've sent out to assess the situation all report that Phantom Lord is making some very strange movements, as if they were preparing for a large offensive. It looks like Jose is finally going to try and get back at you for that humiliating defeat he was handed, what was it, four years ago?"

"Six. This is why I hate working with young people, they don't know how to let things go."

"Oi, what do you call me then? I let things go, are you saying I'm not young?" Makarov grinned at the shinobi, causing Naruto to laugh softly as he leaned back in the chair.

"You're not like others, you've been through too much in your life. If you took everything too seriously then you'd drop dead from worrying or stress." Makarov sighed as he placed his hands on his desk. "I'm counting on you to get my brats through this. Now that we know there's a trap, we should be able to avoid it. Let's see who's better, a Guild Master or a Shinobi."

End Flashback

As Naruto stood there organizing his thoughts, a loud squawk of indignation caught the blonde's attention, his expression lightening slightly when he turned around and saw Natsu, Erza, Gray and Lucy approaching him.

"Naruto! Wha.. what happened to the guild?!" Natsu's eyes flared dangerously as he took in the sight before him, Happy loudly copying his partner. Naruto walked forward, grabbed Natsu by his scarf, snagged Happy out of the air and shook his head at his captives. "Don't worry about that right now. You two need to come with me, something the master told me about stealing a S-class mission?" As Naruto dragged the protesting pair towards the building, Erza blinked slowly as she looked towards a very confused Gray and Lucy before the trio followed Naruto into the basement of the guild hall.

Fairy Tail Cellar

Natsu growled as he struggled in Naruto's iron grip, the dragon slayer looking around the basement in confusion at the happy guild members continued on as if nothing had changed. The tables from the hall were still setup, and the alcohol was flowing as usual, as if it were a normal day at the guild. Naruto finally stopped, tossing the protesting Natsu and Happy away from himself as he placed his hands on his hips. Natsu turned around, squaring off against the shinobi as he raised his fist at the grinning blonde. "What the hell? What did you do that for?" Naruto sighed as he pointed behind the dragon slayer, a deep voice causing Natsu and Happy to both freeze fearfully.

"Because I asked him to bring both you here when he saw you next, Natsu." The protesting Dragon Slayer gulped loudly, his expression falling rapidly as Naruto grinned at him evilly.

"Naruto," Natsu said, a fearful expression replacing his anger. "I thought we were friends!"

Naruto laughed loudly and placed his hand on Natsu's shoulder, turning the now fearful mage towards the seated form of Makarov. "We are friends Natsu, but he's the Guild Master. What he says, goes. And he told me, if I saw you, I needed to make sure you got here immediately. After all, you broke the rules, now you need to be punished." Natsu struggled against Naruto's iron grip, the shinobi marching closer to Natsu's doom. Makarov stoic face focused on the thrashing boy, his arm raised high into the air.

"I've been lenient on you Natsu," Makarov said, his glare causing the dragon slayer to gibber madly. "I thought you had enough sense to stay away from an S-Class job until I deemed you were ready! But not only did you go on a job without my approval, you dragged others into it! You have earned the rightful punishment for your actions!"

"Jiji! No, don't punish me, I'll never do it again! Please!" Makarov's stoic face quickly changed to anger, his arm falling down as he delivered a powerful chop the the young man's head.

"BAD! Bad Natsu, don't do that again! Ah, I see our other troubled youths have been found and returned home as well! Take your punishments, you've earned them! BAD! BAD! BAD!" Gray and Happy groaned loudly, the pair of them rubbing their now sore heads. Lucy on the other hand...

"KYAA! Dirty old man!" Lucy ran behind Mirajane, rubbing her ass tenderly while Mira gave Makarov 'The Look'.

"Master, stop that!" Makarov sighed as he pulled his hand back, grabbing his mug of beer and chugging it happily.

"Master," Erza said, her angry gaze passing over her fellow mages that were continuing one as if nothing had happened. "Do yo not understand what's going on here? We need to find out who did this to our guild and teach them a lesson!" A round of mirthful laughter met Erza'a outburst, the requip mage's dark aura appearing around her as she turned towards her fellow guild members. But her aura winked out as a heavy hand landed on her shoulder, the requip mage looking up at Naruto's smirking face.

"Oh, trust me, we already know who did this... and I'm working on a response. Tell me Erza, what do you know about Phantom Lord?" For several moments Erza fought against her natural reaction to yell at Naruto, thinking about the question he had just posed towards her before answer.

"They are our rivals, they have similar strength to ours, most of which is caused by the larger number of mages in their guilds. Are you saying that Phantom did this to our guild?"

"Yep, it was Phantom. Mira and I were here when it happened, I caught the person that caused the damage before he could escape. Right now, he's holed away in one of the buildings in town, under lock and key."

"Wait... are you saying you KIDNAPPED GAJEEL REDFOX? What the hell is wrong with you, Naruto! That's a crime!" Erza jabbed a finger into the grinning shinobi's chest, her furious yell setting off a chain reaction of laughter around the guild.

"A crime? No way, that's not a crime!" Naruto's head turned to the side as Mira whispered something in his ear, a look of surprise appearing on the shinobi's features. "Seriously? Your joking, kidnapping is a crime here? We used to do it all the time back home!" Erza growled loudly as she stomped towards the bar, sitting down heavily on a stool as she glared at Naruto.

"Anyways, kidnapping aside, I'm not about to let some guild with a superiority complex try and destroy my family. So, we're gonna teach them a lesson that they won't forget. After all, who else here has fought in a war?" The guild members laughter trailed off, their gazes focused on the confident shinobi before them. "War isn't noble. War is making sure you hit them harder than they hit you! Stick with me and Phantom will never try this shit again!" Naruto grinned widely as his nakama rose to their feet, a thunderous cheer causing the shinobi to grin.

"Now, here's the situation...

Phantom Lord – Main Headquarters

The streets of Oak Town were awash with it's citizens, it's streets filled with vendors, playing children and busy adults. The town continued to be prosperous due to their local attraction, Phantom Lord. The guild building was a large fortress like structure, it's imposing shadow covering the town that it occupied. There were dark whispers about some of the guild practices, but the average citizens paid them no mind, brushing off the words as mere rumors and nothing more.

What the people of Oak Town didn't know was, the building they believed was Phantom Lord's Headquarters was in reality just public outpost. The true headquarters was hidden away in the hills surrounding Oak Town, amid the rubble of an ancient structure. It's halls were filled with the sounds of it's top mages, each of them preparing for the oncoming conflict they had been warned about. In the center of the structure, a darkened room was host to the master of the guild, Jose Porla, who was current seated atop a darkened throne. At his feet, four mages were bowed as they awaited his instructions.

"There has been no word from Gajeel-kun?"

"No master," A feminine voice replied. "There has not been any work from Gajeel. We believe that he has been captured." A series of murmuring began before one of the bowed beings decided to voice his opinion loudly.

"Non non non! This will not do! The plan will be..."

"The plan," Jose said, cutting off all those that bowed before him with a glare. "Will proceed as I direct it. Gajeel-kun was heading towards Fairy Tail, home to that bastard Makarov and his insufferable brats. And...him as well. Capture was always a possibility, but I know Gajeel. He will not break or talk, he's tougher than that." Silence was the only response to Jose's words, the four people before him knowing their Master's disgust for the people he had mentioned. "The plan will commence tomorrow as we have already discussed. I will send for you all once we have finished our preparations Now, leave me."

The next day

Naruto groaned softly, the early morning sun prompting the shinobi to rise. But, his time in Fiore had taught him a very valuable lesson. Sleeping in had it's perks, especially when sleeping in with Mirajane. Naruto's arms pulled Mira closer to him, the blonde enjoying the feeling of the young woman that he held in his arms. 'Actually, I think it's time for something relaxing... for both of us. Mira was up most of the night worrying about how today would go, she could use something... distracting.' But just as Naruto nuzzled closer to Mira's neck, he felt his girlfriend's hand squeezing his wrist, Mira's sleepy voice causing Naruto to pause in his ministrations.

"Mmh, if you're awake enough for that, then we have to get up," Mira said, her firm words causing Naruto to groan softly as he buried his face in her neck. "Don't you remember what's happening today? We need to go and... oh you sneaky little... stop that... ahhh!"

Mira let out a cute moan as Naruto ignored her words, softly kissed her neck several time until his lips began making a trail towards her shoulders. Mira groaned softly, enjoying the featherlight touch of her lover's lips on her skin when suddenly his hands slid up her stomach and finally cupped her breasts firmly in Naruto's strong hands, hands that kneading the pliable flesh until Mira moaned softly. The young woman's arguments evaporated as she felt her emotions whirling out of control, the sensations Naruto elicited in her causing her to gyrate slowly. "No... we'll be late..."

Naruto nipped at Mira's ear, causing the young woman to groan loudly as he used all of the tricks he had learned over the past two years against her. "We can be a little late, after all everyone already left last night and will be in position by now. Let me help you relax, Mira-chan."

Mira groaned loudly, the heat growing inside of he under Naruto's skilled hands. Soon her arguments were forgotten as Mira's lust took over, the young woman spinning around and crushing her lips against Naruto's as Mira pinned the shinobi to the bed. Pulling back, Mira looked down at the pinned shinobi with lust filled eyes, a devilish smirk appearing as she rubbed against her lover once more. "Alright then, you asked for it!"

An hour later

A flushed Mirajane appeared at the door of the guild, stopping as she looked into the disapproving eyes that Erza was sending her way. Mira giggled softly, the young woman brushing at her hair as she caught her breath. Where have you been Mira? We should have started the operation a few minutes ago, and Naruto is missing! If he doesn't arrive, then.."

Erza trailed off when suddenly a grinning Naruto joined them, sweat beading on his brow as he took a deep breath. Erza looked up at the pair, her eyes narrowing at their current state. "Where have you two been? It looks like the two of you have been doing something strenuous... Naruto! What did you do to Mirajane? Huh?" Naruto held his hands up, while Mira intercepted the volatile requip mage and pulled her away from the shinobi. Naruto grinned as he entered the room, a large map dominating the wall of the Fairy Tail's basement. Naruto made sure to listen to the story that Mira was feeding Erza, just in case the young woman tried to catch the two in a lie. 'After all, I really don't think she's gonna wanna here the answer of, 'Naruto and I were in the middle of a hot and steamy session of sex, and we didn't wanna get outta bed'. As funny as her reaction would be, I seriously doubt that right now is the right time to tell her.'

**'Heh, very true. But to be honest, I think she's starting to get suspicious, gaki.'**

'Took her long enough, I've been leaving clues that a genin could decipher for months now.'

**'You mean a normal Genin, or YOU as a Genin?'**

'...Fuck you, Kurama'

Naruto sighed as he listened to the boisterous laughter from his partner fade away, his focus shifting directly towards the map before him. "Well now, lets see how a Phantom stacks up to a Shinobi."

Flashback – Yesterday afternoon

"Alright everyone, listen up! This entire attack on us is due to two reasons! First, Phantom hates our guts, they're using a piss poor excuse for all out war with us, regardless of how the council feels about guilds fighting one another. That reason is our newest Fairy, Lucy." A cacophony of voices exploded, a shocked Lucy shaking her head as Naruto continued. "That's right, Lucy... Heartfilia. Daughter and heir to the Heartfilia Conglomerate." Silence met Naruto's revelation, the eyes of the entire guild focusing on the now trembling girl that was clinging to Erza.

"Now, most guilds would probably quietly hand Lucy over, saddened at her loss, but not wanting to go to war with another guild. After all, as I said before, the council does frown upon such actions." Several mages turned towards Naruto, their fiery gazes causing the blonde to grin as he slammed his fist into the table before him, shattering the furniture as he stood tall.

"BUT WE ARE NOT MOST GUILDS! WE ARE FAIRY TAIL, AND IF YOU THREATEN ONE OF OUR OWN, WE'LL KICK YOUR ASS STRAIGHT TO HELL!" Naruto laughed loudly at the roar of approval from his fellow guild members, the shinobi shaking his head as he saw tears trailing down Lucy's cheeks. "Come on Lucy, did you really think we'd give you up to anyone? You belong with us now, we are your family!" Raucous laughter met Naruto's declaration, the shinobi grinning as he motioned for Levi and team Shadow Gear to come forward. The young blue haired girl waited with a large scroll in her hands, her teammates grabbing several tables and placing them end to end. Once done, Levi unfurled the scroll, revealing a detailed map of Fiore.

"Now, Makarov and I have decided that fort now, I'm in charge. I have experience fighting a war, making me the most suited to getting us out of this mess. First order of business, destroying their supply lines. Phantom Lord has multiple subdivisions, meaning they have something to fall back on if this war drags out. I plan to.. relive them of that security blanket, I want their backs broken forever. Messing with my family is a big mistake." As Naruto placed his hand on the map, over a dozen points of light appeared, showing the sub divisions that they currently knew about.

"Each subdivision will be assaulted by a team, a combination of clones and Fairy Tail mages. The main assault group will be here," Naruto pointed at the Public Headquarters for Phantom Lord. "The most likely place to find Jose Porla would be here... but we're not that stupid to believe that, are we?"

"NO!" Naruto grinned at the shouted answer before continuing on his briefing.

"Good, cause sometimes I worry about some of you guys, I mean with some of the things I've seen you guys do..." Naruto grinned as the various boos and annoyed responses from his guild mates.

"Ok, ok, enough kidding. So, the main squad will consist of Makarov and a large number of our most powerful mages. Now, this most likely is a trap, which usually means either trapping us or draining our biggest hitter, Makarov. So I want everyone there to be on their guard, especially you Master."

"Now, all of this information has come to us via our late night visitor. This was the original plan, to get our guild to commit to a fight at the main outpost. But, it is possible that Jose could change his plans, so just in case Phantom decides to strike here, I'll be staying behind with a small group of mages to hold them off. I'll also be coordinating with the different groups through communication Lacrima, so we'll all be in contact as the battle commences. Once your subdivision has been taken down, met us back here. Any questions?" As the silence began to stretch out, Naruto nodded as he raised his fist in the air.

"Alright then, I'll let you know who your teammates are later. So, go light on the booze, yes Cana I'm looking at you, and be ready to move out tonight! We strike early in the morning, the perfect time as I'm sure Phantom's mages are as lazy and unruly as you lot!" Naruto grinned as he guild mates cheered loudly, their morale restored as they trusted in their shinobi's battle plan.

End Flashback

Naruto walked towards the table that had been setup last night in the basement, the shinobi tapping the Main Lacrima sitting on the table before him. Naruto watched as magic seal appeared, the crystal tying in with each teams lacrima as he prepared to address the troops.

"Alright everyone, begin the attack."

Meanwhile

Jose groaned loudly, a loud pounding at his door interrupting his sleep. Growling loudly as the intrusion continued, Jose angrily leaped to his feet, his ire so great he was contemplating killing the fool that had awoken him. Ripping the door from it's hinges, Jose growled loudly as he was faced with a nervous looking member of Phantom Lord's Administration staff, the coward bowing his head as he asked for forgiveness.

"My apologies Master Jose, but Poltergeist's Laugh is being attacked!" Jose's ire quickly winked out, confusion replacing it as his mind slowly awoke.

"Poltergeist's Laugh? But their one of our branches... oh that cheeky bastard! He'll suffer for..."

"Master Jose!" Jose's diatribe trailed off as he turned towards the new arrival, another admin mage ran forward, the man panting as he placed his hand against the wall for support. "Reports are coming in of an attack!"

"I know that you blasted buffoon! Poltergeist's Laugh..."

"No! Not just them, all of the branches are under attack!"

"WHAT!?"

"Poltergeist's Laugh, Spirit's Crossing, Specter's Chill, all of our sub-divisions are under attack! Each by a band of mages from Fairy Tail, many of them exact duplicates of the same man!"

Jose growled loudly as his magic flared, the two admin mages stepping away form the volatile man,

"UZUMAKI... Prepare the golem! We're paying a visit to Magnolia! I want that man's head on a pike!"

Several hours later

Naruto sighed happily as he studied the information before him, a smiling Mira placing a drink at his elbow as he continued to study the current situation. 'Ok, so most of the sub-guilds are down, several of the squads are already on their way back. Man, those guilds must have been the rejects that Jose didn't want anymore. Makarov and his team should be on their way back, strangely enough there wasn't any kind of trap to stop them... well, that just means that we'll have to wait and see what Jose's next move is...' Naruto's inner monologue trailed off as he felt the ground heave slightly, the shinobi looking over at Mira in surprise.

"Uh, I didn't do that..." Mira and Naruto stared at each other for a moment before a violent heave of the ground sent the pair flying.

"Outside!" Naruto pulled Mira to her feet, the pair racing up the stairs and coming face to face with Phantom Lord's Headquarters. Naruto's eyes widened as he whistled in admiration. "Wow, now that's something you don't see every day!" As the mobile building stopped, a crackle was heard before Jose's amplified voice thundered out of several speakers on the golem before them.

"You... this is your fault isn't it? Naruto grinned as he slid his finger over a seal located on his neck, causing any words he spoke to be greatly amplified.

"Oh hey, it's Jose Porla! Our Master is out right now, but if you'd like to leave a name and message we'll be sure to have him get back to you as soon as possible!" Naruto grinned as his amplified voice repeated the same message, a low growl coming from the Phantom Headquarters speakers.

"You bastard... you're the reason my guilds are being destroyed and yet you have the gall to mock me! I should have killed you when I first met you! Hand over Lucy Heartfilia and I'll only kill you, the rest of your pathetic guild can live!" Naruto laughed loudly, the shinobi walking towards the edge of the cliff separating the guild from the lake that Phantom's Golem was standing in.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to pass on that. So, are you going to just stand there all day threatening me, or are you going to do something about it?" A furious growl was Jose's answer as a piece of the mobile building fell away, revealing a large barrel that began extending from the building.

**'Well shit, that'll leave a mark.'** Naruto grinned at his partner's quip, his hand already reaching for his sleeve that contained the Biju Bracer.

'Bah, we're good, let's give'em a show. How long will the chakra we've collected last?'

**'Hmmm, I'd say about a minute, minute and a half.' **

'Well, that should be enough... I think. Well, time to find out!'

As Naruto watched the Jupiter Cannon power up, he felt Kurama's chakra gather around him, the familiar feeling of his Biju Modo coursing through him. The cannon fired it's gathered energy, the blast barreling towards Naruto as he raised his arms before him.

"BIJU MODO!" Fiery orange energy covered Naruto from head to toe, a tattered energy coat forming around him. Naruto raised his arms and nine brilliant beams of power burst from his body, converging in front of the oncoming blast of magical power. Naruto grinned ferally as he felt the volatile Jupiter Cannon's energy try and penetrate the dense chakra constructs, to no avail. After several moments, Naruto noticed a light problem, the shinobi gritting his teeth as he felt himself being pushed back. Even after using his chakra to anchor himself didn't stop the backwards movement as the ground beneath him began to crumble.

'Uh, Kurama? I'm being pushed back, the ground's buckling! What the hell do I do now?'

**'...Uh... try not to crash head first into any walls?'**

"Oh HAH HAH smart ass... AH SHIT!" Naruto screamed loudly as he was sent flying towards the guild, his body bursting through the wall as he slowly rolled to a stop in the middle of the hall.

"NARUTO!" Naruto groaned as his Biju modo fell away, the bracer he wore now a dull red as it slowly began to fill again. A visibly concerned Mira raced towards him, the jinchūriki standing slowly before Mira pulled his arm over her shoulder, the pair walking out of the damaged building. Naruto leaned against Mira as he faced the imposing Golem, his hand raised in a one fingered salute that expressed his defiance. "Try again asshole!"

"A valiant effort, Uzumaki! But one I doubt you'll be able to repeat again! You've bought yourself a measly 15 extra minutes of life, tremble in terror at that thought!" Naruto grinned as he leaned against Mira, the barmaid grinning at her boyfriend.

"You were right," Naruto said, looking back at the now still golem,"The villain just can't help but monologue. Alright! SPECIAL FORCES, ATTACK!"

A winged cat flew overhead, his companion Natsu held firmly in his paws as he raced towards the structure. A Ice slide was rapidly constructed over top of the lake, as both Gray and Elfman slid down the slippery path towards their goal. Finally a dark shape took to the sky, Naruto grinning as he saw Erza garbed in her Black Wing Armor, the scarlet haired mage's battle cry splitting the air. Naruto grinned at Mira, leaning forward and kissing her lips quickly before he stood on his own.

"Well, I think it's time to join them! I'm coming for you, Jose!"

Phantom Lord Golem – Jose's Sanctum

"Feh, pathetic. Five mages against my elites? This will be easier than I thought." But, just as Jose had finished his thought an alarm sounded.

"Master! The lake, look!" Jose growled as he looked at the lake below them, the Guild Master's eyes widening as a veritable sea of orange clothed, blonde haired men were skimming across the water towards the Golem.

"Prepare for boarders! EXECUTE THEM ALL!"

There we have it, hope you enjoyed that one, seriously, if not you have to let me know otherwise I'll never get better. Also, lets see if anyone can guess who I modeled Naruto's interrogation technique after, it's from a movie, very well known but it did come out a while ago.


	7. Chapter 6

So, I decided to switch back and forth between stories, so here's a new chapter for you all! The longest yet, and hopefully you enjoy how it all turns out! Again, read, review, tell me what you like and hell, tell me if you don't like something! One with the insanity!

* * *

Erza's armoured form soared through the air, her Heaven's Wheel armor glinting brightly in afternoon sun. Erza's eyes narrowing as she held her sword at the ready, her vision filled with the sight of Phantom Lord's mobile Guild hall growing closer by the second. 'Naruto's prediction was right, just like always. But, how did he know that Jose would attack us here?'

Flashback

Erza watched as Naruto sat down at a now empty table, the majority of the guild members having left in high spirits after his his speech. Looking to her right, Erza smirked as she watched the others that Naruto had asked to stay behind.

Both Natsu and Grey were grinning broadly, their desire for a good fight overriding their normal violent reactions to one another. Elfman stood tall, his arms crossed over his chest as he waited patiently for Naruto to continue. And finally, Lucy looked at Naruto in undisguised surprise, the celestial spirit mage fidgeting nervously as Naruto smiled at the group of his friends arrayed before him.

"Naruto, come on! Why did you want us to stick around?" Erza cocked an eyebrow as Natsu dove directly into the questions, his impatient attitude flaring up once more. Stepping forward, Erza gently slapped the back of Natsu's head, sending the Dragon Slayer crashing into the ground. Erza grinned as she watched a grumbling Natsu stand on his feet once more, before an amused Naruto's laughter caught everyone's attention.

"Thank you, Erza. And it's simple, Natsu. I'm going to completely destroy Jose and his guild for this. It's gone way past a beat down, this is something that has got to be stopped and the only way that'll happen is if the man is completely crushed. And I'm going to need all of you to help me with this." Erza's eyes narrowed as she watched Naruto pull several sheets of paper out of his pocket, placing them on the table he was sitting at as he motioned for his friends to sit with him.

"Now, the most dangerous of all the Mage's in Phantom Lord at the Elemental Four, Gajeel and Jose. But, with Gajeel still in my tender care," Naruto snickered loudly, a sound Erza knew quite well. "He's really not an issue anymore. But, these other four are. You four are our best bet in going toe to toe with them, regardless of when or where this happens. With the information I've gotten from Gajeel, I'm fairly certain that Phantom Lord will attack Magnolia directly. We'll be here, waiting to spring the trap on them."

"But where do I fit into all of this?" Erza blinked as she glanced over at Lucy, her confused expression causing Erza to nod slowly.

"Yes Naruto, I agree with Lucy, the four of us should be more than enough to stop the Elemental Four. So what exactly will Lucy's role be in all of this?" Erza looked on as she watched Naruto's confident expression swiftly change to a smirk, the requip mage's eyes narrowing in suspicion at the shinobi's expression.

"Oh, don't worry Lucy, I'm not going to make you fight any of the higher-ups from Phantom Lord. We're going to be keeping you out of the fighting all together actually, not cause you can't fight but because we don't want those Phantom bastards to get lucky and snag you. Now, I've arranged for a special guard while you're in hiding... oh look, there he is now." Erza's eyes widened as she saw a shadowed figure walk into the light, a sound of shock escaping her lips.

"You..."

End Flashback

Erza's hand tightened around the hilt of her sword, her eyes flashing dangerously as she effortlessly cut through the outer wall of the mobile Guild. A pair of mages gaped in shock at the scarlet haired woman, their eyes widening as Erza lunged towards them. Erza's free hand slammed one of the mages into a wall, while she used the flat of her blade to slap the other mage against the unyielding stone floor. Quickly scanning the corridor, Erza found that there were no other enemies around and so she ran into the guild, looking for the target that she had been assigned.

Chapter 6

"I'm going to enjoy eviscerating that blonde bastard... oh yes, it will be glorious! Report!" Jose glared angrily at one of the mages that surrounded him, the nervous man that had been elected to deliver the latest report shuffling towards the furious guild master slowly.

"Sir, it appears that... well, that Uzumaki is assaulting the bulk of our main forces with his clones. Our members are taking significant loses, but the constructs should be wiped out shortly, that is to say once the Elemental Four enter the fight. There have also been reports of the remaining four members of Fairy Tail entering the guild, but no one knows exactly where they are at this time. As for the original Uzumaki... well... you better see for yourself."

Jose's eyes narrowed as he looked at the Lacrima before him once more, a look of surprise appearing as he listened to the conversation taking place between Naruto and Mira.

_Naruto sighed loudly, a smile gracing his lips as Mira continued fussing over the visibly amused shinobi._

"_Did you remember all your kunai and shuriken?"_

"_Yes dear."_

"_And did you bring your explosive tags?"_

"_Yes dear."_

"_Are you ready to go kick Jose's ass?"_

"_Yes dear."_

"_You know, you taking charge like this is really, really sexy. I've been holding myself back from just ripping off all your clothes and riding you right here, right now in front of everyone."_

"_Yes de... wait a minute, what?" Mira grinned impishly as she leaned forward, pecking a shocked Naruto's lips before quickly pulling back._

"_Just wanted to make sure you were still listening to me, Naruto-kun. Besides, that'll never happen, I'm only letting you see me like that. But, if you do a good job with Jose, I think I may have a 'reward' for you." Naruto shook his head in exasperation as he swatted Mira's ass gently, her soft squeal and saucy grin causing him to laugh softly. _

"_You know, you better get out of here, after all this isn't exactly the safest place to be right about now." Mira hummed softly as she placed a delicate finger to her chin, a coy smile gracing her features as she thought about the suggestion._

"_I think I'll wait for you and the others. Besides, I'm not the girl Jose is looking for, so I should be fine waiting for you." Naruto nodded sagely as he turned towards the looking guild building._

"_Oi, you hear that Jose! Now I don't want you involving Mira in this shit, else you'll have to pay the consequences!"_

Jose's eye twitched as he watched the scene before him, a powerful feeling of jealously gripping his black heart, yet his anger soon roared out of control at Naruto's final remark.

"I'm going to kill that lucky son of a bitch, him and his little girlfriend too!"

* * *

"And damn you woman, don't give me dirty ideas like that... well, not right now at least! Now, I better get going, my clones are keeping the normal mages busy but that'll only last so long." Naruto leaped from the cliff face, the cool morning air ruffling his clothes as he fell towards Lake Sciliora. Grinning madly, Naruto landed lightly in a crouch, the shinobi rising to his feet as he looked towards the guild hall before him.

**'Geez Kit, you and your dad sure do attract some real kinky women...'**

'Dammit Kurama, stop talking about my mom like that, Ero Kitsune... Now, let's focus on blowing up this guild and kicking Jose's ass.' Naruto stood tall, his chakra coated feet allowing the blonde to push off of the water below him, the shinobi swiftly picking up speed as his feet skimmed on top of the lake. Naruto raced forward, his arms pumping back and forth as he picked up speed, the shinobi quickly approaching the mobile guild. Several mages that had been stationed as look outs yelled angrily as they spotted the approaching shinobi, their magic lashing out as they tried to hit the blonde while he continued to coast on top of the lake.

**'Aw, isn't that cute, they think they can stop you with their magic.' ** Naruto smirked as he agilely manoeuvred around the hail of elemental energy thrown at him. Despite several minutes of intense fire, the lookouts hadn't managed to land a significant blow on the speeding shinobi, while Naruto was grinning like a loon due to all the high speed manoeuvring he was performing. But of course, all things must come to an end, this situation's end turned out to be that a squad of clones finally finding this group of lookouts. Naruto skidded to a stop as the magical assault abruptly ended, his grin growing as he listened to the very one sided beat down being doled out inside of the guild. Leaping in the air, Naruto's chakra coated feet stuck to one of the mechanical legs of the guild, the blonde racing towards the building proper. After climbing through a conveniently open window, Naruto gave the leader of the clone squad a fist bump as he pulled a large stack of explosive notes from his hip pouch, the majority of the clone assault forge cackling madly as they saw the ordinance their boss had brought. Naruto nodded in satisfaction as he watched his remaining clones trussing up the latest group of Phantom Lord prisoners.

"Report!" Naruto grinned as the clones before him snapped to attention, their exaggerated motioned causing the original to snicker softly as they delivered their report.

"SIR! The lower levels are clear of all Phantom Lord mages, the only ones left are the Elemental Four and Jose! Currently, Natsu is battling against Totomaru in the chamber that houses the Jupiter Cannon's main Lacrima! Gray is attempting to locate Juvia, while Elfman does the same for Sol! Finally, Erza has also found Aria and is currently engaged in combat! What are your orders, sir?" Naruto nodded , his gaze screaming satisfaction at how his plan was unfolding. The squad of clones watched their creator, grinning madly as they waited for the next part of his plan.

"Excellent! I'll handle Jose, after all I think he needs to be knocked down a peg or two. Now, I need... WHOA!" Naruto held his arms out as the mobile guild swayed dangerously, the unconscious mages rolling on the ground before several clones righted them once more.

"Huh, guess Natsu took out the Jupiter cannon... nice job, kid. Anyways, half of you to take these notes and place them around the guild here, the rest will round up the remaining Phantom members, I'm sure the council will want to have a few words with them." Naruto's clones nodded rapidly, the majority of then vanishing into the bowels of the mobile guild as they raced to fulfil their objectives, while the rest gathered up the unconscious mages and leaped off of the guild building, skimming across the lake to guard all of the prisoners that had been collected from Phantom Lord.

* * *

Natsu sighed loudly a he dropped a still Totomaru to the ground, the once cocky mage groaning loudly as he fell upon the hard stone floor. Natsu grinned widely as he looked towards the destroyed Lacrima, it's shattered fragments scattered across the trashed control room. "Well, guess it's time to leave. Happy!" Natsu bent forward, his hand snagging his unconscious opponent as his partner floated into the air once more, the pair swiftly returning to their wrecked guild hall.

Several minutes later: Guild Control Room

"Master, look! It's Totomaru!" Jose growled loudly as his viewing lacrima focused on the unconscious form draped over Salamander's shoulder, the Fairy Tail Mage grinning widely as he dropped his unresponsive cargo.

"Damn him! That brat must have been the one to destroy the Jupiter Cannon! It will take weeks to repair it, not to mention the cost of a new Lacrima! No matter, prepare to reconfigure the guild! The Jupiter Cannon is the least of their worries now, prepare the guild for an Abyss Break! We'll obliterate this eyesore of a guild..."

"But... Master, the town, they will be caught in the.. GHKK!" Jose's hand lashed out, grabbing the dissenting mage by his throat. Jose squeezed firmly as he pulled the mage towards him, his captive struggling uselessly as he began to gasp loudly, the mage's hands grasping as the powerful grip that held him aloft.

"PREPARE THE GUILD FOR AN ABYSS BREAK. NOW." Jose dropped his gasping minion to the ground, the mage desperately drawing breath as he scurried away. Jose then breathed deeply, his eyes sliding shut as he raised his hands.

"And as for Uzumaki, I think it's time I introduce him to my magic."

* * *

Naruto whistled merrily as he wandered the corridors of the seemingly empty guild, the young shinobi placing a explosive tag at random intervals while looking out for anything of value. 'Hey, you attack me and my home, prepare to lose everything in the attempt!' Naruto spied an ornate vase sitting on a pedestal, just begging to be picked up. Rubbing his hands in glee, Naruto unfurled a sealing scroll, placed the vase on top of it and a moment later the vase was missing, a puff of smoke the only indication that there had been an item atop the open scroll.

**'Wait, so while we're going after the man that's destroyed your guild and is basically threatening your extended family, your not only going to kick his ass but you're also gonna rob him blind?'**

'HELLS YEAH!' Naruto waited as his partner began to weigh the pros and cons of this action, before finally giving his answer.

**'Seems legit, go for it!'**

But just as Naruto reached for the scroll, a muffled sound attracted the shinobi's attention. Naruto looked behind him, his expression puzzled for a moment before it swiftly changed to one of annoyance.

"Dammit, this is karma, ain't it? Inari dammit, I swear, this is so not fair." Naruto expression shifted to a deadpan one, Kurama's hysterical laughter at the situation causing Naruto to growl internally. Naruto focused on the swarm of shadowy figures that swiftly approached him, Jose's magical signature literally dripping off of the imposing group that blocked Naruto's path. "So, Jose thinks he can stop a master of clones with all of these, does he?" Naruto raised his hands, dozens of smoke blasts appearing around him as the hall was filled with a renewed swarm of Kage Bunshin.

"Bring it, bitch."

* * *

Sol gasped loudly, his erratic breathing hitching in his throat as he gazed into the angry eyes of his doom. 'Non non non! This is not possible! The boy should not be able to do this, it should be beyond his powers!' Sol trembled as he backed away from the massive beast that towered over him, it's furious gaze boring into the beaten man as he continued to try and escape.

Elfman roared loudly, his fully transformed body towering over the cowering Phantom mage. Raising his furry arms into the air, Elfman roared once more, causing Sol to scream in fright, the Phantom mage passing out not only from the fear that beset him, but also the extensive injuries he had suffered during the beat down Elfman had administered. Elfman snorted loudly, his magical power receding as he regained his natural form once more. Crouching down, Elfman picked up the unresponsive Sol, the take over mage turning back towards the corridor he had ran down as he carried his newest burden out of the doomed building.

"Naruto... thank you, for everything."

* * *

Naruto paused for a moment, an inexplicable feeling of pure awesomeness washing over the shinobi as he backhanded the shade he was facing, the magical construct falling to the ground before fading away.

'YES! Feel the awesomeness that is Naruto! I dunno what just happened, but it had to be bad ass!'

**'Yeah, about that, we really need to talk about you and you over usage of the word awesome, don't you know any other adjectives?'**

'None that are as awesome as awesome! Now, stop raining on my parade!'

Grinning savagely, Naruto leaped forward, his hands blurring as he flung countless kunai at the swarm of shades arrayed before him.

* * *

Gray panted loudly as he stared at the large tower of ice before him, the frozen water containing his opponent as she finally began to cool off. After several minutes, Gray snapped his fingers, shattering the tower of ice and dropping Juvia to the ground. Gray watched in surprise as Juvia slowly rose to her knees, her arms trembling as she tried to force herself to stand once more. Leaning forward, Gray's hand latched onto the water mage's forearm, gently helping her stand. Juvia's eyes widened as she felt her arm stretching across Gray's shoulders, the Ice mage grinning roguishly at the silent Phantom Mage.

"So, do you give up?" Juvia's mouth rapidly opened and closed several times, the Water Mage's eyes rolling back as she passed out. Gray blinked slowly as he noticed the intense blush staining Juvia's cheeks, the dense young man writing it off as unimportant as he carried his cargo out of the mobile guild hall.

Guild Control Room

Jose seethed as his guild slowed to a crawl in preparation of the Abyss Break, the cause of which was now blatantly displayed for all to see. 'Three of the Elemental Four have been beaten! Inconceivable!' Jose's teeth began to grind in fury as his magical aura burst into being.

"That's it. No more games. I will destroy these pests myself." Jose's furious gaze focused on the scene displayed on his lacrima, a smiling Mirajane waving at Gray as the Ice mage deposited an unconscious Juvia on the ground before entering Magnolia. Jose laughed softly, a plan finally coming together as the man focused on the unsuspecting woman in his sight.

* * *

Mira sighed as she looked at the members of the Elemental Four laid out before her, the young barmaid shaking her head as she looked towards the looking building. 'That Naruto, he knew putting the unconscious members of the Elemental Four out here would piss off Jose. You never change, do you?' But while Mira was focusing on the building before her, she never noticed the dark magic swirling behind her until it was too late. Suddenly a shadowy hand clamping over the young woman's mouth, the shade's other arm pulled the thrashing woman towards itself. Mira continued to struggle mightily, but it was too late as the pair swiftly disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

Naruto sighed happily, his clones having finally finished clearing out the horde of shades that had ambushed the shinobi. 'Now, back to pilfering... I mean, 'saving' the things of value in this place!' Just as Naruto was about to continue with his search, a loud voice echoed through the empty guild hall.

"Uzumaki, I have been monitoring your progress and I must say that I am impressed with what you've done with that guild of pathetic mages you joined up with. You may have defeated my men, but I have something that I think holds great value for you." Naruto cocked an eyebrow as he stood still, wondering what Jose had that could possibly be that important.

"Naruto-kun... h-he snuck up on me.." Naruto's eyes blinked slowly, a ball of ice settling in his gut as he heard the familiar voice.

'Wait... that's Mira... ' Naruto growled as began heading deeper into the guild, his chakra forming a brilliant blue aura that brightened as he listened to the laboured breaths from his girlfriend.

"Yes, I seem to have acquired one of the lovely women that overly populate the ranks of Fairy Tail. She may not be my target, Lucy Heartfila, but I'm sure I can think of all sorts of amusing things to do to her!" Naruto growled loudly as Jose's insane laughter echoed down the hall. Looking towards the ceiling, Naruto spied the speaker that Jose was using, his hand whipping forward angrily. A kunai flew out of Naruto's sleeve, the sharp dagger easily slicing through the device, it's destruction causing Jose's laughter to cut off abruptly, but the anger that Naruto felt refused to fade.

"No one kidnaps my girlfriend, Jose. Time to teach you the true meaning of fear and despair."

**'Oh yes gaki, I like that idea. No mercy!'**

* * *

Erza panted softly, her gaze focusing on the defeated form of Aria, the final member of the Elemental Four. Taking a calming breath, Erza's Heaven's Wheel Armor flared brightly before vanishing, the requip mage crouching as she prepared to drag the insensate man out of the doomed building.

"Ah, Titania, I see that the stories of your prowess were not exaggerated.." Erza's eyes widened at the sibilant voice, the S-class mage shifting her gaze towards this new presence that stood behind her. Erza's expression rapidly shifted from surprise to fury at the sight of Jose Porla, the smug looking Wizard Saint holding a bleeding Mirajane.

"MIRA!" Erza roared loudly, her form bathed in a blinding light that soon revealed her Black Wing Armor, the magical armor allowing the enraged Erza to swoop towards the smirking man before her. Erza growled loudly as Jose ducked under her whistling blade, the evil grin on Jose's face causing Erza to continue slashing wildly at the man. Jose tossed Mirajane aside, the young woman biting back a scream as she slammed heavily into the wall. Erza raised her sword over her head, determined to cut Jose down to size, when the man before her rapidly raised his arm, his hand bathed in a dark energy. Erza's eyes widened as she tried to dodge, but it was too late as a pulse of dark energy slammed into her, sending the requip mage skidding along the ground. Panting heavily, Erza struggled to rise to her feet, her sword acting as a crutch while Jose looked at her with disgusted eyes.

"ERZA!" Erza glanced at Mirajane, the young woman weakly stretching her arm towards her friend before passing out. But soon Erza's vision was filled with the sight of a devilishly smirking Jose, his hands glowing with dark energy. Erza tried to stand, but her knees buckled, causing the young woman to crash into the ground.

"Pitiful. One blast and you're already finished. It would be more merciful to end it right now, you'd just end up suffering if you continued to resist. I think it's time for me to start exterminating all of you, starting with you my dear."

Erza grimaced as she felt the evil energy gathering before her, the amount of power that Jose was generating causing the young woman to close her eyes in resignation.

'Goodbye, everyone...' Every muscle in Erza's body tensed as she waited for the final blow to land, when a familiar presence rapidly approached the room. A violent burst of wind forced Erza to close her eyes against the debris flying around the room, the requip mage feeling a sliver of hope when she heard Jose growl in fury. As the violent wind died down, the requip mage weakly opened her eyes once more, tears of relief streaming from her eyes as she saw a familiar red coat standing protectively over her. Placing her hands on the ground, Erza tried to push herself up, but the fighting had been too much for her, the young woman swiftly losing the battle to stay conscious.

"Naruto..."

* * *

Jose glared at the hand that was clenched around his wrist, the same hand that redirected the blast of darkness magic the Wizard Saint prepared towards the now destroyed ceiling of the guild. Jose growled loudly as his eyes looked into the furious gaze of the man that had caused all of the setbacks this operation had experienced.

"Uzumaki..." Naruto growled as he contemptuously tossed Jose across the room, the guild master cursing loudly as he was slammed into a pillar. Naruto spat towards the rapidly rising guild master, his intent gaze never wavering as he watched his opponent begin gathering his magic once more, the shinobi nearly breathing a sigh of relief as he felt a pair of his clones burst into the room, both of them racing towards Erza and Mirajane.

"Boss, we've got'em! We're bugging out, kick his ass!" Naruto grinned evilly, his chakra slowly gathering around him like a shroud as he slowly strode towards the now furious Jose.

"Oh, I will. Believe it. After all, some asshole decided to ignore my warning and now I need to educate him." Naruto raced forward, his eyes registering Jose's shocked expression as he slammed a chakra infused fist into the Wizard Saint's stomach, sending Jose careening through the thick stone wall. Naruto slowly strode through the hole that Jose's body had created, his furious gaze focusing on the man that was, once again, slowly rising to his feet. "Attack me, I'll laugh and give you a beat down. Attack my family, I'll take everything you own and beat you down. But if you attack Mira... I won't hesitate to kill you, Jose. I'm not like the others in Fairy Tail."

Jose snarled loudly, his hands rising as several of his shades gathered around him, their forms spiralling around one another until a sphere of violet energy was formed. "DEDDO VĒVU!" Naruto stood tall, his eyes glaring at Jose as the blast of vile magic barrelled towards him. As the shinobi was engulfed in the blast of energy, Jose began to cackle madly, confident that his power would incinerate the fool.

"My, such a nice light show. But useless against someone like me." Jose's eyes widened in surprise, the Wizard Saint spinning around as he tried to find his opponent. "There's something very important you need to know Jose. I'm not a mage, never have been and never will be."

"Impossible! The powers that you wield could only be magic!" A soft laugh echoed throughout the empty room, the condescending sound causing Jose to lash out with a pulse of dark magic, the arc of energy sending debris in to the air once more.

"Ah Jose, so closed minded and simplistic. You don't know how lucky you all are to have a world like this. Don't you know that there are things that are greater than any of us? Other worlds and dimensions, each with their own powers and abilities. I am from one of them, I'm a shinobi. Your world is a paradise compared to mine, my world is a place of constant violence and bloodshed." Jose growled loudly, but that was cut off as he bit back a cry of pain, a black knife embedding itself in one of his arms. Ripping the weapon from his arm, Jose tossed the item to the ground negligently, his magic once more encircling his body.

"Impossible! No mage has ever been able to cross dimensions, there doesn't exist any magic that is able to accomplish this!" Jose's eyes began to droop just before he fell to his knees, a mocking laugh from the unseen shinobi causing the mage to growl weakly. "Wh-what's...what's happening to m-me?"

"Well, to answer your second question, Jose... the world I come from is filled with shinobi, it's people locked in constant conflict for generations. Intense battles of epic proportions are fought constantly using elemental powers similar to magic. But, it's the simpler things that set a shinobi apart. For example, their understanding of tactics, their ability to blend in with the shadows... their usage of poisons." Jose's eyes widened slightly, his breath rapidly increasing as he looked around the room in fear. "Yes... I see you understand now. You have been poisoned. A poison that will be undetectable, untraceable... and will remove you from this world's existence." Jose's eyes began to flutter as the once powerful Wizard Saint began to panic, his laboured breathing finally slowing as he lost consciousness. Naruto dropped down from the ceiling, his foot gently prodding the man before him. "Feh, dumb ass. As if I'd kill you and let you off the hook. Well, time to haul his ass out of here, I got a building to destroy."

* * *

Lucy looked towards the three men that were before her, Gray and Elfman bandaging their wounds while Natsu continued to consume large amounts of fire. As the young girl looked over to her left, she grinned cheekily at Gajeel while the dragon's slayer's body sat frozen in a chair, a seal from Naruto glowing brightly on his chest. Lucy smirked as she remembered Naruto explaining how the seal would prevent all movement, but still allow the person under it to see and hear everything around him. Just as she was about to walk over and see if they needed any help, the door to Fairy Tail's hideout was forced open, causing the three men to stand in front of Lucy protectively.

"Nee-chan!" Elfman was the first to run forward, his arms reaching out to his wounded sister, a concerned Natsu and Gray hot on his heels once they saw an unconscious Erza in the arms of Naruto's other clone. Once the two girls were laid on the ground, Lucy ran forward, her arms full of bandages for the new arrivals. Both clones stood up, watching intently as the girls were treated for their injuries.

"Keep an eye on them, we're going to go check on something." Elfman nodded resolutely, his eyes never leaving the pair of unconscious girls before him. Both clones exited the building, leaping atop the roof and gazing out towards the still standing Phantom Lord Guild. An almost invisible presence appeared behind the pair, causing both clones to grin.

"Oi, any problems with Lucy?"

"Hardly. And if someone had managed to track her down, I would have put them down. Hard." Both clones turned around, their grins widening as Mystogan walked towards them, one of his magical staffs held in his hand.

"Sweet. The real Naruto should be back right about..." The clone that spoke trailed off as Naruto landed on the rooftop, the shinobi roughly dropping his cargo on the ground. Mystogan walked forward, prodding the still unconscious Jose with his staff. Moments later four more clones appeared, each of them carrying the members of the defeated Elemental Four.

"Hmm, it appears that we've won."

"Not yet." Naruto's hands flashed out, the snake hand sign forming instantly after many years of practice. A massive explosion from Lake Sciliora engulfing the remains of the Phantom Lord building, the once proud building breaking apart as it slid beneath the normally placid waters of the lake..

"Ok, Now we've won."

Sometime later

"Mmmm..." Mira groaned softly, the young woman wishing that she would fall back asleep so that she didn't have to feel the assorted aches and pains after she had been beaten by...

"Jose!" Mira rose out of the bed, or at least she tried too before she felt her body protesting, the pain radiating from the various injuries causing the young woman to wince, her eyes closing as she hissed out loud. A warm hand pressed down gently on Mirajane's shoulder, the bar maid opening her eyes and looking into the eyes of the person that had rescued her. "Naruto..." Mira lunged at the shinobi, ignoring the pained protests of her body, tears running unashamedly down her cheeks s she clung to the blonde. Mira rubbed her cheek against the shinobi's chest when she felt Naruto's strong arms holding her tight, Mira's tears slowing as she relished the warmth that Naruto exuded.

"Hey, it's ok beautiful. I got him, he's not going to be a problem for us anymore." Mira pulled back, her hand gently brushing Naruto's cheek before she leaned forward, kissing Naruto deeply. Mira's joy at kissing her lover swiftly turned to confusion as Naruto stiffened up, his body trying to pull away form the sign of affection.

"Uhhh..." Mira's eyes widened, the young woman's mind panicking as she heard someone near her speak. Pulling away from the wide eyed shinobi, Mira looked at the shocked and surprised faces of her brother, Natsu, Gray and Erza. Lucy, on the other hand...

"HAH! I KNEW IT!" Mira saw the angry glare of Erza and reacted accordingly, quickly burying her lover's face in her chest before he could run., the young woman glaring at the now angry requip mage.

"Mira, it was you..." Mira held onto Naruto's head tightly, the shinobi seemingly relaxing in the woman's embrace as he enjoyed his current accommodations.

"Yes, it was me, Naruto's mine, so you really need to stop being so angry with him. He didn't tell you that I was his girlfriend because we both knew you had a crush on him, and after your little episode in the bar after you confessed to Naruto, I wasn't willing to risk you attacking him."

"Attack him? What the heck are you talking about?"

Flashback – The day after Erza asked Naruto out on a date

A visibly drunk Erza waved a large mug over her head, her angry stare causing everyone to freeze. "If I hear of any a youshe girlsh getting together with Naruto, I'll cut'ya! Then, I'll kick Naruto'sh assh!" Every woman in the guild blinked their eyes slowly, watching as Erza fell face first onto her table, her mug rolling along the ground as she began snoring loudly. Looking towards the bar, the entire guild watched as Naruto banged his head slowly against the bar top, a giggling Mira rubbing the shinobi's shoulder consolingly.

End flashback

"I was drunk! We all say stupid things when we're drunk... or we fight. Actually we usually do both... never mind, that's not the point! Do you really think I even remembered that?" Mira continued to cling to her boyfriend, his hands sliding down her back and resting on her ass as he got comfortable.

"I wasn't willing to risk it! Who cares if he heals insanely fast, he shouldn't have to get in a fight with you about this. He didn't want to be in a situation where he had to fight you to protect me, so we kept quiet." Erza sighed explosively, the other members of Fairy Tail watching the drama unfold before them in awe.

"So, how long have the two of you been going out?" Mira smiled sadly, her fingers running thorough Naruto's hair as she held him close.

"Ever since Lisanna died. She knew we both loved each other and wanted us to be happy." Erza sighed once more, dropping her hands to her sides as she sat down heavily.

"So over two years. Alright, fine, the blonde idiot is yours, I won't attack you." Naruto started to pull his head from Mira's chest, but the young woman tightened her grip as she glared at Erza.

"So I'm safe, what about Naruto?" Erza scoffed, her arms crossing under her breasts as she leaned back in her chair.

"Damn, of course you'd catch that. Fine, I won't attack Naruto either." Mira smiled warmly, her arms loosening and allowing Naruto to sit up.

"Best... conversation... ever..." Mira giggled as she kissed Naruto's cheek, her hand grasping onto the shinobi's as Naruto let the wounded woman lean against him.

"Finally, I was worried that you two would never reveal your relationship to the rest of the guild." Everyone looked towards the doorway, a smirking Makarov entering the building. Naruto waved from the bed he was on, Mira's tight grip on her arm preventing the shinobi from rising.

"Yo, Jiji! So, how did it go?" Makarov grinned as he shrugged his shoulders, jumping an a nearby chair and sighing loudly.

"Pretty much as expected. No fatalities, on either side. A lot of bumps and bruises, a few broken bones but nothing too serious. The entire Phantom Lord guild system is destroyed, they'll never recover from this. Now, it's time to relax. I think we all deserve a break."

The next day

"HALT IN THE NAME OF THE COUNCIL! WE ARE HERE TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE OF THE INTER-GUILD WAR BETWEEN FAIRY TAIL AND PHANTOM LORD!" Makarov began to cry loudly, the Master of Fairy Tail realizing that his worries were just beginning. An entire contingent of stern faced Rune Knights converged on the destroyed Fairy Tail building, the guild members groaning as they surrendered peacefully. Well...

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE! RUN, HAPPY!" Erza groaned as she watched Natsu and Happy run into Magnolia, realizing that it was too much to hope that the pair of idiots would stay put.

'But at least everyone else stayed he...'

"Hey, jiji! Have fun with the Rune Knights!" Makarov spun around swiftly, an imperious finger pointed at a smirking Naruto. Erza growled loudly, glaring at the shinobi that stood on a rooftop near the destroyed guild.

"Damn you Naruto, get your ass down here! Suffer with the rest of your family, it's your duty!" Naruto laughed loudly, the shinobi reaching down and grasping a limp body in his hand.

"Nah, I'll pass, I think we'll let this guy do the talking!" Naruto tossed the person he was holding to the ground, the mages of Fairy Tail and the Rune Knights all staring at the frozen body of Gajeel Redfox. Seconds after the Dragon Slayer landed, the seal that restrained him broke, the mage growling loudly as he fought against his bonds.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE, UZUMAKI! THERE WON'T BE ENOUGH LEFT OF YOU TO IDENTIFY THE BODY!" Naruto laughed loudly as he ran into the city, the leader of the Rune Knights sighing as he watched the man disappear.

"And so it begins...again. They don't pay us enough for this shit. Zeta squad, go hunt down Uzumaki." A chorus of groans were the only response, the captain shrugging his shoulders as he gestured in the direction the shinobi had disappeared. "Come on, you're the only squad he hasn't completely humiliated, you know he's weak against women, you were specifically put together on this mission for a situation like this! Move out!" The all woman Zeta squad grumbled loudly as they entered Magnolia itself, remembering the last time they had to track down the elusive Fairy Tail member.

The Rune Knight Captain watched the squad enter the city, sighing as he rubbed his neck tiredly. 'Although, while he doesn't humiliate them, he does still make it nearly impossible for them to find him.' Turning back towards Makarov, the Captain gestured at the tent that his squad had erected.

"Wizard Saint Makarov, if you would follow me please?"

* * *

Naruto landed in front of his house, a tender smile appearing as he quietly entered the building. As the shinobi placed his coat on a convenient chair, his silent feet took him towards the bedroom, his eyes focusing on the sleeping figure before him.

Mira's face sported several small bandages, the young woman sleeping peacefully as she clutched a large pillow to her chest. 'Damn, I so wish I was that pillow right now...' Mira groaned softly, a cute yawn passing her lips as she rubbed at her eyes. Mira blinked slowly, her bleary eyes focusing on the man before her. A tired smile lit up her face as the young woman snuggled against her body pillow. 'Hey, wanna take the place of this pillow? I'd rather be holding you." Just as Naruto was about to take Mira up on that offer, a loud pounding at the front door caused the shinobi to scowl.

"I'd love to baby, but I think I need to go and piss off some Rune Knights first." Mira cocked an eyebrow as she slowly rose from their bed, the still recovering mage grabbing a housecoat as she followed Naruto out of their room. "What's the big... oh... oh shit, they sent you? Dammit, I made sure you were all assigned to the Bosco border, I forged the documents mysel... Um, I mean I verified the documents myself!" Mira looked over Naruto's shoulder in confusion, the nervous tone of Naruto's voice making her wonder just who had been sent after the blonde.

"SENSEI! A brown haired girl rocketed forward, her slight build barely fazing Naruto as she latched onto the shinobi tightly. Naruto chuckled nervously as he tried to remove the tenacious girl, all the while doing his best to ignore the towering inferno of female rage behind him.

**'Seriously, how the fuck do you keep getting into situations like this?!'**

'Dammit, stop wondering about something we'll never have an answer for and help me out of this! She's like a leech, how the hell do I get rid of her?!' But while Naruto was busy communicating with his partner, Mira decided that she was tired of waiting, pulling the two people into the house and slamming the door shut. The remaining members of Zeta squad all grinned devilishly at each other before they burst out in laughter.


	8. Chapter 7

Explosions echoed within the forest outside of Magnolia, the sounds of which had drawn the attention of many of the town's inhabitants. All of the people that were watching the pyrotechnics suddenly froze, they recognized the flustered voice of Magnolia's mayor.

"What's going on? Let us through, clear a path people!" Several of the townspeople stepped aside, their gaze focusing on the agitated form of their mayor. Several soldiers surrounded the smartly dressed man, their nervousness apparent as their hands fidgeted with their weapons.

"Just yesterday, the town was almost destroyed by a rogue guild, and now something is destroying the forest surrounding our home! What is going on here?" Each of the silent townspeople looked at each other, as if trying to decide who would be the one to deliver some sort of terrible news. Finally, a young boy escaped his mother's grasp, running towards the mayor and beaming brightly at the annoyed official as he tugged on the man's pant leg.

"Jiji, it was really cool! We saw a bunch girls chasing after Naruto! And a while after they entered the forest, all those cool noises and lights started going off!" The mayor sighed, his his agitation swiftly changing to annoyance.

'Fairy Tail, you bring in mountains of new business each day, you spend your mission payments in town and help Magnolia prosper... and then you screw it all up by blowing shit up! Seriously... why me? What did I do to deserve this?' The townspeople watched in surprise as the Mayor stiffly turned from the forest, tears streaming down his cheeks as he made his way towards his office once more, the official realizing that any actions he could take were futile in this situation.

Chapter 7

Flashback, - 10 Minutes earlier

Naruto began to breath erratically as he senses registered the rising levels of killing intent, the shinobi grabbing the brunette that was wrapped around his waist and tugging mightily on her arms once again. But try as he might, the young woman continued to rub her cheek against Naruto's chest, the blissfully ignorant girl giggling merrily as she held onto the terrified shinobi. 'Shit, she's like a freaking leech! Kurama, gimme an idea to get outta this, I don't wanna die!'

**'Grovel and beg for forgiveness for the rest of your miserable life? Which, incidentally, shouldn't last much longer...'** Naruto froze in his futile struggles as he sensed that Mira's killing intent had peaked, a storm of dark energy swirling around the beautiful woman as she glared at the scene before her. Gulping nervously, Naruto slowly turned his head towards the malevolent entity that had replaced his loving girlfriend as he tried to get free once more.

Mira's head was bowed, hiding the young woman's eyes and features from Naruto's gaze, but the blonde didn't need these normal visual aids to determine Mira's current emotional state. A dark aura surrounded the woman, the field of energy flowing around her as if it were a deadly miasma of death.

'I'm so dead.'

**'Well, it is your fault for going out with someone that gets insanely jealous over shit like this.'**

'Would you say no to Mira if she offered you her love for the rest of her life, and an insane amount of hot, kinky, sex?'

**'...Fuck no, that'd be stupid!'**

'Thank you for proving my point, now stop perving on my girl, furball, and do something useful!'

Naruto ignored Kurama's annoyed growl as he finally managed to free himself from the giggling girl, his eyes focusing on the silent form standing before him. "Mira? Babe, are you ok?"

Mira's head rose slowly, a devilish smirk gracing her features as she laughed softly. Naruto gulped loudly, the soft laughter causing his blood to run cold at the fact that someone could make something as innocent as laughter into a weapon that inspired terror in all who heard it. Licking his lips nervously, Naruto focused on his apparently furious girlfriend as he mentally prepared for his imminent escape.

**'Well, look on the bright side, you'll finally get to put those escape tunnels you made for the house to good use! You should be happy that you're finally getting a chance to test them out!'**

'You're NOT helping, Kurama!'

**'I'm supposed to be helping you? Pass, I prefer laughing at you while you try and dig yourself out outta this hole you've fallen into.'**

'I will lock you back up in the seal so fast your head'll spin if you try and abandon me in my time of need!' But before Kurama could retort, Naruto froze as Mira posed a simple question to our blonde hero.

"Naruto... who is this? And why is latching onto you like that?" Naruto opened his mouth to respond, hoping that his words were enough to stave off the eruption of Mira's anger, but the young woman that had recently been clinging to the shinobi spun around, her arms latching onto Naruto's arm once more as she glared at the taller Mirajane.

"OI! Leave Sensei alone! You're interrupting Elysia's time with Sensei," Naruto's eyes widened as Mira's mouth dropped open in shock at this statement, the shinobi frantically shaking his head in denial. "Elysia loves her time with Sensei, you shouldn't interrupt it! Elysia has missed Sensei since he left three months ago to come back to his guild, so Elysia is collecting on the snuggles that she's missed!" Mira's shock changed to a look of rage in an instant, her eyes focusing on the brunette girl standing before her.

"Oh, you love being with him, do you? Well, I think that there is a small problem with that," Mira said, her hand pulling a seemingly frozen Naruto towards her, the take over mage staring down at the young girl that had the gall to continue clinging to her boyfriend. "After all, I know he loves me, and I am his girlfriend. So I'd really appreciate it if you let go of him... right now." Naruto's eyes looked down as he heard Elysia growl loudly, her grip tightening as she stomped a foot on the ground, the shorter girl looking up at Mira defiantly.

"NO! Sensei is mine, you can't have him, you... you old hag!" Naruto nearly fell to the ground as his senses registered a spike in Mira's killing intent, one that surpassed all previous levels that the girl had reached since the shinobi had met her.

**'Wow, Elysia sure has some big, brass, cajones to be calling Mira a hag... and seriously, she really needs her eyes checked if she thinks Mira is a hag.'** Naruto was sweating now as he he fell back into his flight instinct, his chakra already preparing his escape route from the house.

"Hag... heheheheh... well at least I'm not an immature little brat like you!" Mira's eyes sparked dangerously as she placed a hand on Elysia's head, her open hand squeezing as she continued to glare at the young girl as her temper began to get away from her normally iron hard control. Naruto wisely decided to capitalize on the opening he had just been given, his form disappearing in a burst of leaves while both girls attentions were focused on each other. Both girls stumbled at the sudden disappearance of Naruto, the pair growling loudly as they glared at one another. Each of the girls stepped back, their fingers pointing angrily at each other as both woman simultaneously screamed in anger.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, BRAT/HAG!"

* * *

Naruto gasped for breath, the blonde kneeling on the rooftop of a building that stood near his home. Taking a deep breath, Naruto closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he listened to the furious pair of woman in his home, the volume of their shouting continuing to rise, along with their anger towards each other.

"Wow Sensei, you're in a whole heap of trouble." Naruto groaned, a delicate hand now patting his shoulder as the blonde looked up forlornly at the woman that now stood over him.

"Maren-chan, why did you let Elysia do that? Now Mira is going to kill me! And I didn't even do anything wrong... this time!" The now identified Maren giggled as she brushed her blonde hair over her shoulder, the tall woman standing up one more and offering a predatory smile to the shinobi as her hands rested on her curvy hips.

"Well, I did learn from the best, after all. 'Never give your opponent an out, make them follow your rules', ne?" Naruto groaned as his own lessons were used against him, realizing that he was being played... again. "Now, Naruto-Sensei, if you come quietly with me and Zeta Squad, I'll calm Mira-san down and explain the situation to her."

Naruto gaze narrowed as he stood, the blonde studying the smug woman that now stood before him. "Not bad, Maren-chan... BUT STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" A burst of smoke covered the rooftop, a coughing Maren scanning the nearby buildings for her now missing quarry. A loud burst of laughter caused the young woman to whirl around, her eyes narrowing as she saw Naruto standing on the roof a across the street.

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE, MAREN-CHAN! YOU WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS AS THE DAY THAT YOU ALMOST CAPTURED UZUMAKI..."

"'Now, Candra-san." Naruto's triumphant look quickly morphed into confusion as he looked over head, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw a shapely redhead falling towards him, the young woman's hand cradling a crackling sphere of electricity.

"Kuso..."

"Catch, Naru-Sensei! _Raijin no chēn!_"Naruto tried to dodge the incoming spell but it was too late, the spell catching the blonde in a moment, entrapping the shinobi in chains of elemental magic. A smiling Candra landed lightly on the roof top, the busty redhead tapping the trapped Naruto lightly on his nose. "Now, now, Naru-Sensei, are you trying to run away from your cute little students? Shame on you, I think you need a reminder of what happens when you make us sad!"

Just as Candra reached a hand out towards the chained shinobi, Maren's eyes narrowed as she continued to study the unusually docile shinobi. The leader of Zeta Squad's eyes widened as she saw a subtle smirk appear on the trapped man's lips, a sign of impending attack... or embarrassment. "Candra, it's a trap!"

Candra's hand stopped abruptly, her eyes widening in shock as she saw her prisoner glowing brightly. "Congrats, Candra-chan! You finally caught me with that attack! _ Bunshin Daibakuha!_" Candra screamed loudly, her arms covering her face as... the clone burst into a cloud of smoke, surprising the pair of Rune knights.

"Seriously? Did you two think I'd actually hurt either of you?" Both Maren and Candra spun around, a grinning Naruto saluting the pair as he made his escape, hopping from rooftop to rooftop. A seething Candra looked to her side as Maren landed on the roof top, her eyes flashing dangerously as lightning arced down her exposed arms.

"Damn bastard, scared the shit outta me!"

"We'll worry about that later, take the others and go after him! I'll get Elysia, move out!" Maren dropped to the street as Candra chased after the loudly laughing Naruto, the remaining members of Zeta Squad forming up on the livid Lightning mage as they raced through the streets of Magnolia.

* * *

Mira growled as she glared at the hostile young girl standing before her, the pair having finally given up on screaming at each other. Mira looked up as the door to her home opened once more, her glared returning in full force as another woman entered. Mira observed the new arrival as a smile graced her lips before she bowed respectfully at the white haired woman. Mira watched in surprise as the newcomer rose from her bow, raised her hand and sent Elysia pitching forward, the hard slap to the back of Elysia's head causing Mira to smirk widely. Mira's opinion of this new woman rose rapidly from this single action.

"Maren-chan!"

"Elysia, how many times have I told you to stop doing that to Naruto-Sensei, especially in front of his girlfriend!" Elysia growled childishly as she rubbed her tender head, growling at the taller woman.

"Mou! Maren-chan, this hag is trying to take Naruto-Sensei from us!" A threatening growl from Mirajane cause the now identified Maren to sigh loudly, her fingers massaging the bridge of her nose. Mira had a nagging feeling that this was an old conversation between the two women.

"Elysia... Naruto is not something that belongs to anyone, we've talked about this. Mira-san, I'm very sorry about this, Elysia is a little... attached to Naruto-Sensei. I'll explain later, but for now I'd like to ask for your help." Mira's eyes narrowed as she studied the serious woman before her.

"And what exactly would I be helping you with?" Mira didn't know why but she had a feeling that she would enjoy helping this woman, if her devilish grin was any indication of her intent.

"Why Mira-san, we'd appreciate your help in capturing your boyfriend. After all, he does need to be brought down a peg or two every now and then, ne?"

Meanwhile, in the forest...

Naruto panted softly as he leaned against a tree, the blonde grinning as he glanced around the trunk he was using for cover. Once he had entered the forest, the four remaining members of Zeta squad had split into pairs, hoping to flush the man out before there was too much collateral damage. A clone of Naruto had observed all of this, it's memories causing the blonde to grin as he watched the first pair approach his position, a blonde and her blue haired partner. Naruto grinned as he watched the visibly annoyed young women trudging angrily through the forest in pursuit of their quarry. Naruto closed his eyes, his enhanced hearing allowing the blonde to hear every word the pair spoke, their conversation causing the blonde to stifle a chuckle as he waited for the right moment to strike.

"I mean come on, do you really think that we can take down Naru-Sensei?" Naruto grinned as he heard his fellow blonde speaking of his martial prowess, the shinobi continuing to listen to the conversation. "It's not like he's going to drop out of the sky and land in our laps!" Naruto held back a snicker as he used shuinshin to disappear into the forest, the sound of his soft laughter echoing through the forest.

"Wait, did you hear that?" The blonde Rune Knight's hands spread out before her, blue flames racing up her arms before forming a pair of flaming wings on her back. Her partner narrowed her gaze as she watched her companion's tense body, the blue haired girl sighing loudly.

"Come on Silya, you're jumping at shadows. He's not here, lets get moving." But before the two young woman could move, a mocking laugh caused them to freeze in place, their heads scanning the dark forest intently. Both girls saw a shadowy figure flitting through the trees, his presence vanishing before they could race after him.

Silya's flaming wings curved around her body protectively as a single kunai raced out of the darkness, the dagger melting rapidly as it reached the flaming pinions.

"Sensei, you know it's a waste to throw those at me, my _Tenshi no honō_ will destroy any projectile that approaches me. Besides, we both know that it's a smarter choice to attack Aleta, she's been scared of you the moment that she met you. It also helps that she's scared of being alone in a forest."

"I AM NOT SCARED OF... EEEEEEEEK!" The now identified Aleta screamed loudly as she held her skirt against her ass, her cheeks sporting a massive blush as she glared towards the darkened forest.

"ECCHI! Sensei no baka! I'm going to kill you!" A loud smack reverberated through the forest, along with Aleta's renewed screams. "Hentai! STOP SPANKING MY ASS!" A loud giggle from Silya caused Aleta to round on her, the furious woman now focusing her anger completely on her giggling partner. Silya cleared her throat, falling silent as she tried to wipe a grin off her face while Aleta turned back towards the dark forest.

"Sensei, stop trying to psych me out! T-this shit wasn't funny d-during training, and it ain't funny n-now! I'm seriously getting p-pissed off here!" The forest fell silent once more, the angry Aleta sighing deeply as she began to calm down. 'I guess he finally got the hint that I wasn't playing around anymore...' But just as the young woman was about to sigh in relief, Aleta's body tensed up as she felt a presence appear form nowhere, a mellow voice whispering a single word in the frightened girl's ear.

"Boo."

* * *

Mira and Maren raced towards the forest surrounding Magnolia, a pouting Elysia trailing after the grinning pair as she struggled to keep up. Mira glanced over at the girl that was keeping pace with her, her gaze studying the beautiful woman that apparently knew Naruto quite well. But before Mira could say a word a shrill scream echoed through the forest, the high pitched sound was then followed by a massive explosion. Both Mira and Maren looked at each other with the same deadpan expression, the pair sighing as they turned back towards the forest.

"Naruto no baka..."

"Yes, he probably scared Aleta-san, that sounds like her _Bakudan mahou_."

The trio raced into the forest, thick smoke billowing out of a clearing. As they entered the destroyed portion of the forest, Maren sighed as she saw a furiously trembling Aleta, as well as a shocked looking Silya standing beside her, her fiery wings having protected her from the explosive magic. Maren crossed her arms under her breasts, tapping her foot lightly as she studied the two women standing before her.

"Now, would someone please explain to me what exactly is happening here?" Before either of the women could answer, a loud squawk of surprise grabbed everyone's attention, the five of them looking towards the forest canopy. A series of loud crashes caused everyone to watch in surprise as Naruto plowed into the ground, the destroyed remains of the trees and branches he had hit falling to the ground around him. Naruto slammed heavily into the ground, his body skidding to a stop at Mira and Maren's feet. Groaning loudly, Naruto massaged his jaw before freezing, his eyes focusing on the decidedly less homicidal form of his girlfriend that was now standing over him.

"Hey, babe. Hehehe... I see you've met the rest of the girls." Mira shook her head in exasperation when a second body landed on the ground in a crouch, this one a beautiful woman with jet black hair. The woman stood up swiftly before approaching the group. Naruto stood up, the blonde cracking his neck as he glared at the grinning woman that approached him. "Of all the sneaky, underhanded, completely diabolical plans designed to take me down... that was brilliant! Laeta, good job!"

The sound of snapping branches caught everyone's attention as they watched a panting Candra burst out of the woods, her uniform covered in dirt and small tears. "Dammit, Laeta! I missed it, why didn't you tell me that you sensed Sensei before you took off?" Laeta grinned as she waggled her fingers at the visibly annoyed woman, a gesture that caused Mira to look at the back haired woman suspiciously.

Mira's eyes narrowed as she watched the approaching jet haired woman grab Naruto in a seemingly friendly hug, a grin splitting her face as Naruto ruffled her hair in a friendly manner before she waggled her fingers at him, a gesture that caused Naruto to laugh aloud once more. Naruto grinned widely as he slung his arm around Laeta's shoulders, but his good cheer soon switched to a nervousness as Mira walked towards the pair, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Naruto... I think you have some explaining to do."

Magnolia – Fairy Tail Guild Hall

"Alright, Master Makarov, lets go over this once more from the top." Makarov sighed loudly, the old man taking a deep breath as he struggled to contain his temper. 'After all, the Rune Knights are just trying to do their job. But they really shouldn't act as if they are enjoying this so much...'

Just as Makarov was about to begin repeating the what had occurred during the short guild war, again, the tent flap opened up and a bound Naruto was tossed to the ground. Makarov stared intently at the bound form of one of the strongest members of Fairy Tail for several moments, when the Wizard Saint suddenly slapped the back of Naruto's head.

"OW, JIJI!"

"Damn you, Naruto, when you ran off Cana started a betting pool and you just cost me ten thousand jewels! You were supposed to stay hidden until tomorrow!" Makraov walked over to the bound shinobi, grabbed the blonde by his jacket and began to shake him in mock anger. Moments later, Makarov's hands dropped the blonde to the ground as he watched Zeta squad entered the tent, saluting the Captain while standing at attention.

"Ah! Good job everyone, was it a difficult chase?" Makarov watched several of the beautiful woman's expressions shift towards annoyed, the wizard saint shaking his head as he studied the pouting blonde at his feet.

"Alright Master Makarov, you can go, I'll send for the next person that I need to interview when I'm done with Naruto-san here. Zeta squad, if you'd do me the favour of keeping Mirajane-san company until I need speak with her?" As the dismissed mages left the tent, the Captain looked down at the bound shinobi, his stern expression causing Naruto to childishly stick out his tongue. Moments later Naruto looked over at the Captain, grinning as the ropes parted, allowing him to stand.

"Conner Boreas, you old dog, sending my girls after me? That's so unfair!" Naruto grinned as he pulled Conner into a backslapping hug, the two mages grinning as they sat down.

"Well, I didn't want to chase after you myself, so I had to send people that knew you and your tricks. Tell me, how did they do?"

Naruto sighed as he stretched his legs out before him, his eyes closed as he mentally reviewed the chase. "Well, I'd say that the girls are better than the majority of the squads that are currently operational. Meaning that if the council tries to shut them down I'll be pissed off, and when I get pissed off I express my displeasure in wild and inventive ways. I don't need to remind you about the jock strap incident, do I Conner?" Naruto grinned as Conner shuddered, the Captain reaching for a bottle that was resting on the table beside the pair.

"Oh God no, I'm begging you to never ever mention that incident again for the rest of my life!"

* * *

Mira's eyes flicked back and forth between the six women that were seated with her at one of the many outdoor cafes that Magnolia had. The white haired woman took a sip of a tea that she had ordered, watching the women as they communicated amongst themselves. Finally deciding to break the ice, Mira placed her teacup on the provided saucer and leaned towards Maren.

"Alright, so now that you've captured Naruto, I think it's time for you to all tell me how you know him." Maren nodded slowly as she leaned back in her chair, her gaze passing over the members of her team.

"Very well. To put it bluntly, we we're all failures for one reason or another. I was Captain of a squad of mages that were killed by a dark guild, my reputation and my confidence were destroyed when I was the only one to return from the mission. Candra's emotions are like her hair, red hot and explosive, her issues with discipline would see her kicked out of the Rune Knights in many circumstances. Aleta was scared of her own shadow, her fear causing her to fire off her magic at the most inopportune times, usually near her teammates. Silya couldn't touch anyone due to her magic, alienating her from any squad she was part of and causing her to sink into depression. Laeta... Laeta's a mute, and as such was treated as someone that was to be pitied for most of her life. And Elysia..." As her name was spoken, the shortest member of Zeta squad slammed her hands on the table.

"Elysia can speak for herself. Elysia was partnered with her oniichan, but during a mission... oniichan..." Tears fell from the young girls eyes and Mira looked towards Maren, the blonde haired girl nodding slowly.

"Each and everyone of us were facing expulsion from the Rune knights for our problems. That is until Naruto heard about it..."

Flashback

"Seriously? What the hell is wrong with you all, where I come from these people would be helped, not shunned for who they are and what they've been through!" A visibly angry Naruto faced the impassive council members, their gazes not betraying any emotion as they listened to the blonde ranting at them. Org coughed into his closed fight lightly, the second seat of the magic council steepled his fingers while he studied the angry blonde standing before him.

"Uzumaki Naruto, S-Class mage of Fairy Tail, I fail to see how this is any concern of yours... or how you even heard about this situation in the first place."

Naruto growled as he gestured at the limp guards resting on the floor of the chamber behind him. "Blame your oh so elite guards, they were laughing about how useless these girls were. I ain't gonna stand around and listen to that crap."

Org closed his eyes as he nodded slowly. "I see, so you will not stand for this?"

"That's right!"

"Very well, you are appointed as their trainer then for the next three months. If they do not meet our standards within that time frame then they will be expelled from the ranks of the Magic council." Org stood on his feet and exited the chambers, the remaining members of the council following the man.

"Nani?"

* * *

Mira giggled loudly as she set her teacup down once more, her eyes focusing on Maren as she finished explaining how Naruto had been roped into training the group.

"So that's why the council requested him for a three month mission, he was supposed to deliver a package to Era and head right back."

Maren nodded as she took a bite of a cake that the waitress had delivered, smiling at the delicious dessert. "Yes, that is it exactly. Now, needless to say there were some... problems initially."

* * *

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU! I'M GONNA..."

"Cool off." Naruto grinned as he launched a small orb of water at the screaming redhead, the outspoken woman screaming as the ice cold orb soaked her to the bone.

"Now, would anyone else like to try and do something to me? No? Good, cause I'm Uzumaki Naruto, your new trainer. I'm turning this group into the best damn squad of Rune Knights that the council has ever seen!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air,his expression gleeful as he looked at the women he was going to train. But several minutes passed in silence, none of the girls responding to the declaration. Naruto dropped his fist and sighed, adjusting his forehead protector as he frowned. "This may be tougher than I thought..."

* * *

Mira nodded sagely as she placed her empty cup on the table, smiling at the woman before her in understanding.

"He ran you ragged, didn't he?" Aleta groaned as she rested her forehead on the table, remembering the training and exercises that she had been exposed to.

"Yes! That man is a freaking machine! Doesn't he ever slow down?" Mira giggled as she shook her head, causing all of the women before her to groan loudly. Maren cleared her throat as she leaned forward once more.

"Yes, he trained us physically, but he also helped us with our problems. He began to study Silya's magic so that he could help her control it, turning it from a uncontrollable force of destruction to her greatest defense. He created a seal for us all to understand Laeta's hand signs, bringing her out of her shell. Aleta was forced to face her fears and has made huge strides to overcome them, while Candra has discovered that while it is important to tackle life head on, she now tempers her zeal with patience. Elysia... she gained a new brother figure, one that would do his best to help her with anything and everything he could."

Mira smiled at Maren as she cocked her head to the side. "And you, Maren-san? What did Naruto-kun do for you?"

Maren smiled wistfully, looking into the clear sky above as she took a deep breath. "Naruto-san taught me to let the past go. To never forget what had happened, but also how to not get lost in it. All of us have learned so much from him and as such, we'll do anything for him. We not only came here because Fairy Tail had been attacked, but because we would have the chance to meet you."

Candra grinned as she rested her forearms on the table, leaning on them and staring directly at Mira. "After all, we need to make sure that you're good enough for that blonde goofball. And if not, we'd 'persuade' you to look elsewhere."

Mira's gaze narrowed as she studied the women before her, wisps of dark energy floating around her. "Ohhhh? And do I pass your tests, Candra-san?"

All the Rune Knights at the table laughed loudly, an action that caused Mira to giggle once more. A nodding Candra was the first to stop, a smirk gracing her lips as she focused on Mira once more. "Oh yes, you can keep the little troublemaker in line when we're not around. Now, tell us some embarrassing stories about Naruto-sensei!"

Back with Naruto

Naruto placed a hand over his heart, his breath escaping in short gasps. Conner rose to his feet, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder in concern. "Naruto, what's wrong?"

Conner watched as Naruto winced, his expression pained as he looked out towards the town. "I sense... a shift in the natural order of things. This is bad, very bad. Why did you send Mira-chan with them?"

Several days later

"So the council is letting this slide?" Naruto nodded as he helped stock the recently restored bar, the shinobi not allowing Mira to do any work that he considered strenuous until her injuries had fully healed. The sounds of construction surrounded the pair as the guild members began the reconstruction of their guild hall, an endeavour that was aided by the assistance of Naruto's shadow clones.

"Yep, they trust my judgement in this matter." Naruto stocked the shelves in silence for several moments when he felt a pair of arms wrapping around his waist, a smile appearing on his lips as Mira held him tightly.

"What did you do Naruto?" Naruto froze for a moment, the blonde glancing over his shoulder in Mira's hands caressed his chest gently.

"Nothing..." Mira arched an eyebrow at her boyfriend, causing the man to sigh in defeat as his head drooped.

"If they tried to do anything to us I'd ruin the lot of them with information that I've gathered on them over the years."

"Nani? Blackmail?" Naruto looked over at the bar, seeing a recently arrived Erza scowling at the shinobi as he turned around, his arms wrapping around Mira's curvy frame.

"I prefer to think of it as... levelling the playing field." Erza cocked an eyebrow as she shook her head.

"How long have you been spying on the council members?"

"Ever since I got here, I mean that's just common sense that you spy on anyone that you have contact with, isn't it?" A vein popped up on Erza's forehead, the redhead standing up as she glared pointedly at the blonde before her.

"NO! Who spies on anyone they meet?"

"Seriously? I spy on everyone in the guild, speaking of which you really need to find a better place to hide your... 'stories', Erza, you leave them in the most obvious places." Erza screamed loudly, the redhead running out of the partially rebuilt hall. Naruto grinned as Mira flicked his nose, a pout forming as she narrowed her eyes.

"Naruto, do you actually spy on everyone in the guild?"

Naruto grinned as he shook his head. "Of course not, I just wanted to mess with Erza, her reactions are cute."

"Naruto, you're such a bad boy..." Naruto laughed loudly as he leaned in, silencing the grinning woman with a kiss that curled her toes. Meanwhile, Naruto's fellow Fairy Tail members watched the unfolding drama before them with varying reactions.

"Lucky bastard..."

"No, now I have no chance!"

"Hey, I won the bet, pay up Cana!"

Naruto pulled back as Mira exploded into a fit of giggles, the pair watching as Cana tried to run away from the members that wanted to collect their winnings in regards to Naruto's and Mira's love life. Naruto rested his forehead against Mira's, his eyes closing as he breathed in deeply.

"You know, I think it's time I take you on a vacation. All you do is work, we need to go have some fun for a while." Mira hummed happily as she thought about visiting an exotic location, just her and Naruto.

"That... sounds amazing. You, me, nothing to distract us. Think we can actually do that someday?"

Naruto chuckled as he kissed Mira's lips softly before he replied. "Someday? Try today, I sent a bunch of clones back to our house to pack. You and I are going away for a few weeks, we both deserve a break." Mira squealed in joy, her arms pulling Naruto into her chest and squeezed him tightly. Mira blushed as she felt her breasts vibrate slightly, the young woman releasing the blonde that had been trying to talk.

"If that's how you thank me for stuff, I should do something like this everyday." Mira giggled as she kissed Naruto quickly, the young woman running out from behind the bar so she could let the other waitresses know that she was going to be gone for a few weeks. Naruto leaned against the bar, a grinning Makarov at his side as he watched Mira excitedly flitting around the half built building.

"So, you two are heading off for some fun in the sun?" Naruto nodded absently as he continued to watch Mira, when a pair of tickets were thrust in his face. Naruto blinked slowly as he took the proffered tickets, a grin forming as he looked at the smiling Guild Master. "Well, it just so happens that I had these Akane Resort tickets lying around, I think it'd do you two a world of good to head down there and have some fun. We can survive without you two for a few weeks, now scat!" Naruto tapped the tickets that he had received on the bar, nodding gratefully at Makarov as he walked towards Mira. Makarov watched the pair with a grin as Naruto showed Mira the tickets, a squeal of joy escaping the white haired woman's lips as she hugged Naruto tightly. Makarov watched as Mira released her boyfriend and ran towards the bar, the barmaid giving the old master a peck on her cheek before she hugged him tightly.

"Thank you master!" Makarov chuckled as he went to hug Mira as well, but his old habits flared up at that moment as he placed a hand on Mira's firm ass cheek, causing the young woman to squeal as she jumped away from the old man. Makarov cackled loudly, that is until a passing clone clocked him in the head, forcing the old man to drop his beer.

"NO, MY BEER!"

"You deserve it Jiji, touching Mira like that... only I get to touch her like that."


	9. Chapter 8

Here we go, some more Naruto/Fairy Tail goodness to enjoy! Lemme know how I'm doing with a review, it's what keeps a writer going! And to those that have reviewed already, thank you for your support and kind words!

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The soothing sounds of the beach were almost hypnotic, the cawing seagulls that flew overhead breaking through the continuous crash of the waves that lapped up against the white sand of the pristine beach. Near the edge of the ribbon of sand a large lounger had been setup, it's sole occupant sighing deeply as she soaked in the delicious warmth of the sun, the heavenly body resting directly above the tanned beauty. The woman grinned cutely as she stretched her arms over her head, the action arching her back and pulling a self satisfied groan from the bikini clad woman.

"Hey pretty lady, are you all alone out here?" Even though her eyes were hidden by a pair of stylish sunglasses, the man that had just spoken could almost see the teasing look that the beautiful creature before him was throwing his way.

"Oh no, I'm here with my boyfriend. He said that he'd go and get us some more drinks, but he's been gone for such a long time. I'm starting to get lonely." The young man smirked at the pouting woman, his hand holding up a full tray of drinks. An identical smirk appearing on the ivory haired woman as she sat up in her chair, her hands clapping together excitedly in anticipation.

"Well, I just happen to have some extra, that is if you wouldn't mind sharing with a stranger?" Smiling happily, the young woman shifted over in her chair, patting the free space, a blatant invitation to join her on the large lounger. Placing his tray of drinks on the table, the young man lowered himself into the massive chair, a relaxed sigh escaping his lips as he looked towards the chair's other occupant. The young woman leaned over the tanned young man, her arm stretching over his broad chest as she grabbed one of the offered drinks, pulling it back towards herself as she sipping daintily on the cold beverage.

"Mmmm, just what I like. That silly boy, taking so long that he was replaced by a complete stranger... well, I think you deserve a reward for knowing which drink I'd like the most." The young man grinned widely as his arms wrapping around the woman's waist, pulling the smiling woman into his lap. The woman smiled sultrily as she placed her drink on the table once more, her hands resting on the young man's shoulders as she stared into his sky blue eyes.

As the pair continued to look at each other, Naruto's lips twitched as he tried to hold in his laughter. But moments later his mirthful laughter exploded from him, an action that set Mira off, her giggles causing a warm feeling to settle in Naruto's stomach. Mira leaned in, her lips locking with Naruto's as the pair kissed each other hungrily. Several minutes later, Mira pulled back, a content moan passing her lips as she rested against her lover's chest.

"Hmmm, do you use this routine with a lot of guys?" Mira squawked in indignation, the fiery barmaid slapping Naruto's chest playfully as the shinobi tried to fend off her attacks.

"Bastard!" Naruto chuckled as he pulled the playfully struggling Mira closer, his lips working their way across her neck while his hands rested on her . Mira stopped struggling as she felt the featherlight touches on her skin, her hips soon grinding against her lover as she felt herself heating up. "Mmmm, you always did know how to make me forget I was annoyed with you. Jerk, I can't even get mad at you like a normal girlfriend, that's so no fair." Sliding off of Naruto, Mira rested her head on the shinobi's chest, a content sigh passing her lips as she held onto Naruto.

"Blame Baa-chan, she's the one that wanted me to learn how to seduce women just in case it ever came up during a mission."

Mira moaned softly as she kissed Naruto once more, her hands wrapping around the content shinobi's neck. "Oh, I plan to, if I ever get to meet her that is."

Naruto grinned as he kissed Mira's nose softly, an action that caused Mira to giggle once more. "So, when do you want to head back to Fairy Tail? Knowing those crazy nuts, they've probably destroyed the new building and reduced Master to a blubbering shell of a man. Again." Mira's giggles were renewed as she pictured the scene that Naruto had described, the young take over mage halfheartedly agreeing that it was possible.

"Oh stop, their not that bad. I want one more week, this has been the best vacation I've ever had, I want to spend some more time alone with just you and ..."

"OI! NARUTO!" Mira froze, her happy expression quickly fading as she pushed herself off of Naruto, a look of denial slowly crossing her features as she shook her head. Looking towards the beach, Mira saw a sight that she hoped was a mirage, but as the figure approached the couple her hopes were dashed.

"No..."

"Geez, flame brain, give it a rest! Can't you see they're busy?"

"NO..."

"Natsu, Gray, are you two fighting AGAIN?"

"NO!" Naruto sighed as he watched a scantily clad Erza cross her arms under her impressive bust, the young woman sending a disapproving glare towards the sweating Gray and Natsu. An embarrassed Lucy stood to the side of the group, her hand waving at the couple before her while Happy hovered over her shoulder. Shaking his head slowly, Naruto sat up and kissed Mira's cheek before hugging her once more.

"Well, looks like the vacation's over."

Chapter 8

Mira pouted cutely as she watched Naruto wrestling with an enthusiastic Natsu, an intently staring Gray waiting on the sidelines for his turn with the shinobi. Sighing loudly, Mira laid back against the lounger once more and closed her eyes, wishing that everyone would just leave her and Naruto alone for once. 'We barely get any time alone, this was supposed to be a vacation for just us...'

Mira's train of though was derailed as she felt another body join her on the large lounger, her eyes shifting over and staring at an apologetic looking Erza. "Mira... I'm sorry we interrupted you and Naruto. After today I'll let the boys know to leave the two of you alone." Mira sighed as she continued to watch the match before her, a giggle escaping her lips as she watched Gray jump in, the ice mage apparently tired of watching Natsu lose. Both boys decided to actually work together for once, but even then it was an intense mock fight between the boys and Naruto.

"No, it's ok. I was just getting used to having Naruto all to myself. We're glad to see you all, we were wondering what was happening back home actually." Mira grinned as she watched Naruto fall under the combined attack of Natsu and Gray, only to see the shinobi disappear in a burst of smoke.

Erza nodded slowly as she watched a two sets of hands burst out of the sand under Natsu and Gray, the boys squawking in shock as the hands grabbed them and pulled them under the sand. Lucy laughed loudly, pointing at the two buried boys as tears rolled down her cheeks. "How about we catch up tonight? We were planning on hitting the casino tonight, you and Naruto should join us."

Mira giggled nervously, a bead of sweat appearing as she scratched her cheek. "Umm, well... Naruto isn't allowed in the casino anymore. The first night we arrived he heard about it and well... he cleaned them out, hehehehe..."

Erza giggled softly as she shook her head at the pleased looking Naruto, the shinobi dumping buckets of sandy water on the still buried Natsu and Gray , the shinobi laughing like a loon the entire time. "Same old Naruto. We can go and do something else, if you still want to that is."

Mira took another sip of her drink, the ivory haired woman considering the offer. A mischievous expression on Mira's face caused Erza to giggle softly, the ivory haired woman placing her drink on the side table. "You know what, I'll go with you to the casino. I think it's time for us girls to have a little time to ourselves, both of us and Lucy can make a night of it. I think I can find something to keep the big lug occupied for a few hours. Maybe I can get him to take a nap or something, he's been going full throttle for a while now, he really does need to rest more often." As Erza began to outline her groups agenda for the evening, Mira looked over at her laughing boyfriend as an idea came to her on how to keep him occupied for a few hours. Erza was completely oblivious to the hungry look that crossed Mira's features, the beautiful woman licking her lips in anticipation.

Several hours later

Mira smirked as she studied the sweat soaked man below her, the now sated bar maid leaning forward as she kissed her lover's cheek softly. "Hmmm, I think you should take a nap for a few hours while I go visit with Erza and the others. Then we can pick up where we left off, ne?" Naruto laughed softly, a affirmative grunt his only answer as he stretched out in the massive bed. Mira rose from her lover's side, the naked beauty slowly making her way towards their bathroom. A large smile stretching over the relaxed Naruto's lips at the sight of Mira's ass before sleep over took him.

A half an hour, Mira exited the bathroom, her body encased in a stylish black dress that clung to her like a second skin. Leaning over the sleeping shinobi, Mira kissed his lips gently, a soft murmur from the man that she loved causing Mira to grin gently as she pulled the blanket up over his chest. "See you soon babe, I love you."

* * *

Naruto yawned loudly as he sat up, his hand rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. A series of high pitched screams reached his sensitive ears, the cries of panic followed by a muffled explosion that shook the room the shinobi was occupying. Sighing loudly, Naruto swiftly rose from his bed, grabbing his pants while swearing softly. Growling as another explosion rocked the building. Naruto hurriedly dressed, the shinobi's expression souring as he made his way towards the door.

"Natsu, don't blow up the resort! I wanna bring Mira back here some day." Naruto raced down the corridor, the swift shinobi reaching the main stair case quickly. Leaping over the edge, Naruto bounced down the ornate structure, the various patrons that were milling around the lobby watching the acrobatic feats in awe. Once Naruto reached the basement, he sauntered into the now destroyed establishment, a grin crossing his features at the memories of cleaning the place out just two weeks ago. Naruto's happy expression soon shifted to caution once he passed the roulette tables, an unconscious Natsu laying prone on the floor as smoke rose sluggishly from his mouth. Naruto glanced over at the destroyed bar, Gray's still form causing the shinobi's gaze to narrow at the sight.

Naruto crouched before Gray, his head cocking to the side as he tapped the still man's nose. A series of loud cracks echoed through the destroyed casino, Gray's body falling to pieces. The now revealed ice causing Naruto to smirk as it swiftly evaporated. 'Ice bushin... not bad.' Looking to his right, Naruto cocked his head as he saw a very familiar woman pushing herself off of the ground.

"Well hello, little Phantom." Naruto smiled widely as the blue haired woman froze, her gaze rising up and locking onto the shinobi before her. Naruto put on his most charming smile, an action that caused the young girl to blush faintly. "Can you tell me where Gray is? His chakra signature is here, but it's... muffled, somehow."

"Yes, Gray-sama is in Juvia." Naruto blinked slowly, the shinobi coughing softly as he replayed the young woman's words once more.

"I'm sorry, I think that I misheard what you just said, did you say he's inside of you?" At Juvia's solemn nod, Naruto looked at the young woman in confusion. But before he could open his mouth, Naruto watched in surprise as Gray fell out of Juvia's body, water streaming around him as the ice mage coughed weakly. "Ah, in your body, now I get it. It sounded a lot dirtier than it actually turned out to be..."

A loud scream caught Naruto's attention, the shinobi swearing softly as he rose to his feet quickly. "Shit, that's Lucy! Gray, go help Natsu! And don't argue with me about helping flame brain, this is no time for your little school yard bullshit, move!" Naruto grinned as he watched Gray hurriedly scramble to his feet, a look of fear crossing his features at the stern voice the shinobi had used.

Rising to his feet, Naruto raced towards Lucy's chakra signature, the shinobi growling at the sealed doors barring his way. Naruto gathered wind chakra around his fist, a grin forming as he decided to test out a new technique he had been working on. "FUTON: KAZEKEN (Gale Fist)!" Throwing his fist forward, a powerful tornado destroyed the wooden barriers before him, reducing the ornate doors to splinters as they crashed violently against the far wall. Racing through the destroyed doorway, Naruto's gaze narrowed as he was a bound Lucy screaming in obvious pain, the young woman surrounded by... "Playing cards?"

Shaking his head rapidly, Naruto raced forward and cut the thick cord binding Lucy, the blonde crying out in relief as she looked at her rescuer. "Naruto! They took them, they took Erza and Mira!"

Naruto nodded slowly as he stood, stretching out his arms as he closed his eyes. Lucy hung her head shamefully, embarrassed that she hadn't been able to aid her comrades when they had needed her the most. "Did they say why they they took them?"

Lucy bit her lip as she looked fearfully at the strangely calm shinobi. "Well, not really..."

Flashback

Erza gritted her teeth in frustration, her heart hammering against her chest almost painfully as she watched her former comrades threatening Mira and Lucy. "Stop it! It's me you want, they have nothing to do with this, let Lucy and Mira go!"

Mira smirked evilly at the mages standing before her, the angular gun aimed at the ivory haired woman's forehead not even giving her pause as she decided the inform the group of the amount of trouble they'd just inherited. "Relax Erza, it's alright. After all, I have been in worse situations. But I hope they realize that they're about to kidnap a member of Fairy Tail. Most people usually think twice before doing something so stupid, especially when Kage is in the area." Mira giggled internally as she saw fearful looks appear on each mage's face at the mention of the Fairy Tail Co-Ace. Deciding to take their fear to the next level, Mira nodded sagely as crossed her arms under her breasts. "Yep, good ol'Kage... didn't he dump the last person that tried to kidnap someone in the middle of the ocean? Left them with a small dinghy, a map and a single canteen of water?"

Erza cleared her throat, attracting the attention of her wide-eyed former comrades. "No Mira, that was the time before last. Last time, Kage went and deposited the would be kidnapper atop Mt. Hokabe, with nothing but a map, a thin blanket and an apple." Sweat drops appeared on the kidnapper's foreheads, each of them wondering the same thing as a incredulous Lucy.

_'What kind of monster is he? Kage/Naruto sounds completely insane!'_

Mira slammed her dainty fist in her open palm, a look of recognition crossing her features. "Oh yeah! That guy, he was really stupid! He actually tried to kidnap Levi, poor, idiotic, fool... did he ever make it off the mountain?"

Before Erza could respond, an explosion cut off the conversing women, their gazes rising towards Simon. "Enough, no matter who stands in our way, none can stand against Jellal. We'll take both of these women with us, just in case Kage does show up. Leave the blonde here, she'll be a message to their friends." Mira smiled beautifully as she waved at the bound Lucy.

"Sorry Lucy, tell Kage when you see him that they got me and I'm waiting patiently to be rescued!" Lucy let out a nervous laugh at the nonchalant attitude Mira was exhibiting before the cord that bound her tightened again, causing the girl to squeal in pain. Moments later a magic seal appeared , the six mages vanishing in a flash of light.

End Flashback

Naruto laughed loudly, the shinobi clutching at his stomach as an incredulous Lucy watched the spectacle before her. "Oh, that's priceless... damn, I would have given anything to see that. Wow, I must be rubbing off on Mira-chan." Reaching down, Naruto pulled the stunned Celestial Spirit mage to her feet, a roguish grin gracing the shinobi's features.

"S-so... what are we going to do?" A loud roar of anger from the main game room caused Lucy to flinch, but Naruto's grin never left his face as he felt the temperature in the casino rise rapidly.

"Oh, that's simple. I'm going to go find the assholes that kidnapped my girlfriend and make them very, very sorry that they were even born."

Meanwhile, with Erza and Mira

Erza moaned softly, her eyes fluttering as she awoke. Looking around the darkened room that she was was in, the Requip mage growled once she realized that she was tied up once more.

"Relax Erza, everything is fine." Erza's growl stopped as she glanced over her shoulder, the grinning visage of Mira causing the fiery redhead to let out a long suffering sigh.

"You should have kept your mouth shut, Mira. Now your a prisoner as well, one that they'll try and use against Naruto." Mira cocked her head to the side, a questioning expression on her face as she studied the strangely subdued Erza.

"Hmmm, do you have such little faith in your nakama? Or is this about Naruto again?" Erza gritted her teeth tightly as she strained against her bonds.

"This has nothing to do with them! None of you know what it's like to be kept as a slave, to be forced to work till your hands bleed! To barely have enough food to survive, and no matter how much you sleep your always weary! And no matter hot hard you try to please your captors, they beat you at the slightest whim! None of you can understand..." Hot tears trailed down Erza's cheeks as she relived the memories of her childhood, a scene that caused Mira to look down sadly.

"You're right, I can't understand all that you've been through. But I can be your friend, one that will stand by you as we figure out a way out of this mess. After we're back home, ask Naruto about his childhood. Then you'll understand that you're not alone." Erza sniffed loudly, her tear streaked face gazing at the beaming Mira once more. "But for now, we'll have a front row seat when Naruto-kun arrives, that should be fun to watch!" Erza's tears trailed off as she broke into a soft giggle, a reaction that was mirrored by her fellow s-class mage.

"Well, Erza-neesan, you seem to be in high spirits." Erza's giggles trailed off as she watched Shou descending a set of stairs into the darkened room.

"Shou, where are we?" The tanned mage grinned widely as he lit a lamp, illuminating the large room. Mira's eyes narrowed at the sight of the multiple crates and barrels that surrounded the pair of women.

"Why, we're on a ship. We're on our way back to the Tower of Paradise." Erza's face fell once more, a worried Mira gazing at her now silent friend.

"Can you untie me Shou? I won't fight you anymore. I...I just need to put on my armor." Shou tsk'ed loudly as he crouched before the bound redhead, his head shaking slowly.

"No can do Nee-san, you're a traitor. That rope will seal your magical abilities until Jellal has need of you." Mira watched as Erza began to tremble slightly, her head rising until she was looking their captor in his eyes.

"Please Shou, I need my armor... I won't feel secure until I'm wearing it... I'm scared to go back to the tower." Shou sighed as he stood once more, shaking his head.

"Sorry Nee-san, no can do. Besides, you betrayed us before, what's to stop you from doing it again?" As Shou turned towards the stairs once more, Mira cleared her throat loudly, catching the Card Mage's attention.

"I still think you should let us go, the longer you hold us, the angrier Kage will become." Shou grinned maniacally as he shook his head.

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure Jellal will be more than happy to speak with your dear Kage." As Shou climbed the stairs once more, Mira sighed sadly as she shook her head.

"Well, I did warn them, now they have no one to blame but themselves."

Meanwhile

Naruto placed his hands behind his head, the blonde shinobi strolling casually as he studied the moon that hung above him. The young man glanced over at his nakama, raising an eyebrow at Lucy's and Juvia's gobsmacked expressions. "What?"

Lucy gestured frantically at the shinobi that was beside the group, her high pitched voice causing Naruto to wince. "YOU! Y-y-your walk-k-ing on water! HOW?!" Naruto looked down at his feet, then back at his gobsmacked nakama and shrugged.

"I'm just that awesome?" Naruto grinned as Lucy and Juvia both face vaulted, their pitiful groans causing the blonde to snicker. Natsu of course was leaning over the side of the small dinghy that Naruto had... acquired, his face puffing out grotesquely as he desperately tried to keep from spewing his dinner into the sea. Gray was manning the oars, his expression calm and collected as the group followed the shinobi to their final destination.

"And your sure that Erza and the others are in this direction?" Natsu nodded at Gray slowly, a loud moan escaping from the motion sick boy.

"H-happy..." Naruto sighed as he walked towards the dinghy, his hand reaching out as he gently patted Natsu's head.

"Yes Natsu, Happy is there as well, we'll get him back." Naruto's gaze turned back towards the imposing tower, his eyes narrowing as they shifted to a deep crimson. "We'll get them all back."

Meanwhile – Tower of Paradise

Mira tugged at her bound hands once more, the ivory haired girl frowning as she looked at the grinning Shou. "Is this how you treat your guests? Tsk, tsk, your even worse than Naruto used to be, I had to teach that man so much about proper decorum after we started going out..." Shou growled softly at the beautiful woman, a reaction that got a smirk from the Take Over mage. Turning to his right, Shou's mocking grin returned as he watched Erza struggling against her own bonds feebly.

"It's no use Nee-chan, you won't be able to break those... is there something wrong? Are your new 'quarters' making you feel nostalgic?" Erza's gaze narrowed as she growled at the young man that she had once known.

"Never mind that, I can't believe you'd help someone use the Tower! The R-System is an abomination, the dead should stay dead!" Mira cocked her head towards her friend, her interest peaked.

"Ooh, so you do know what the R-system does. I'm impressed, Nee-san." Erza growled as she struggled once more, the cords binding her stretching slightly but still refusing to snap.

"Revive-System – In exchange for one living sacrifice, a single person can be brought back from the dead. A forbidden magic that is an abomination." Shou giggled softly, a crazed look appearing in his eyes before he threw his head back and laughed loudly. Erza glanced over at Mira, her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she looked back at Shou, the young man's eyes focusing on Erza now that he had finished his bout of hysterical laughter.

"Nee-san, all magic is an abomination! Magic has nothing to do with humanity, the very power we use wears away at what makes us human in the first place!"

Erza shook her head sadly, her eyes filled with pity as she stared at Shou. "Spoken like a member of the Black Mage cult that created this forsaken device. You've become just like them, Shou." Shou spread his arms wide, the young man leaning forward as he leered at Erza.

"Oh? I think you misunderstand, Nee-san. That cult lacked the vision that Jellal has given us, they saw this system as a simple tool. But in our hands, and with Jellal's guidance, we'll bring Paradise to this world! We will revive 'that man', and then we will rule this world and it's people! There is nothing that can be done to stop us now!" Shou began to laugh insanely once again, Erza's angry gaze focusing on the delusional man standing before her. "The remnants of the cult! Your friends and guild members! The ignorant and foolish people that haven't a care in the world! The fools that lord over us in the Council! All of them will suffer as we have! We'll rob them of their freedom as he were robbed of our own! We will be the rulers of the world!" Shou cackled madly, a sound that continued for several moments before a loud snap was heard, the insane man stiffening suddenly as a thin arm wrapped around his neck. Swallowing slowly, Shou looked down and began to breath erratically once he saw a gleaming black kunai resting against his throat.

"You know, Shou," Mira leaned forward, her sweet sounding voice causing the crazed man to sweat as she whispered in his ear. "Naruto wasn't the only one to learn things over the last few years. Erza, go ahead, he's all yours." Shou looked up, the furious expression on Erza's face causing him to shake his head slowly.

"SHOU!" Erza planted her right foot firmly on the floor before sending her left knee rocketing upward, her impressive flexibility allowing the woman to knee Shou in the chin, knocking her former nakama out with a single blow. Mira pulled the kunai away from the man's throat, letting his unconscious body fall to the ground. Running forward, Mira freed Erza quickly, the kunai disappearing in a flash of light after Erza's bonds were cut. Erza watched the weapon vanish, the Requip mage blinking slowly as she tried to figure out what had happened.

"When did you... how...?" Mira grinned cutely as she showed Erza the palm of her hand, a faint seal covering a good portion of it.

"Simple, Naruto wanted to make sure I always had a hold out weapon, just in case we ever got separated. The seal itself does work with my magic, but if it's been blocked off it also has a backup charge of chakra, enough to summon the kunai if needed." Erza shook her head in amazement, silently thanking the blonde for his quick thinking. Erza closed her eyes as her gown began fluttering in an unseen breeze, the garment bursting apart in a shower of light. Moments later Erza was once again clothed in her Heart Kreuz Armor, a sigh of relief passing the redhead's lips.

"And now, we take the fight to them! Lets go, Mira!"

* * *

Naruto's eyes narrowed for a moment, his gaze focusing on the massive tower before him and the others. A grin then appeared, one that caused everyone to look at him expectantly. "Heh, Mira's escaped. It appears that she and Erza are..." Naruto's hand rose, his finger pointing at the middle of the tall tower. "Right about there, and heading up the tower. Now, how am I going to get you four inside?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder, the watery form over their newest friend breaking through the still ocean surface. "Naruto-san? Juvia has found a way to enter the tower, it's an underwater passage that leads directly into the basement." Naruto grinned as he cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

"Awesome. So, here's the plan, you three go with Juvia through the underwater passage and link up with Mira and Erza." Lucy frowned for a moment, her gaze narrowing as she watched the excited blonde that was bouncing before her.

"Wait a minute, what are you going to be doing?" Naruto's feral grin caused Lucy to take a step back, while Natsu and Gray mirrored Naruto's expression.

"I'm the distraction."

Several minutes later

Lucy's head broke the surface of the still water that filled the basement, the Celestial Spirit mage scanning the various walkways above her for movement. After several moments, the young girl hoisted herself up on dry land, her hands reaching up and removing the sphere of water that Juvia had given her. Lucy studied the magical construct that allowing her to breath during the long journey through the secret entrance that Juvia had found, before dropping the sphere and studied the room that she has entered .

Peeling her soaked clothes from her body, Lucy began wringing out the sodden clothes as the others broke the surface, both Natsu and Gray staring wide eyed at Lucy in her skimpy bikini. "Erza, Mira and Happy are somewhere in this tower. Juvia, weren't there any guards in here before?" Lucy looked over at the Water Mage, the quiet girl's intense stare causing the Celestial Spirit mage to sweat lightly.

"Yes, there were a few guards, Juvia wonder's what happened to them." Both Natsu and Gray grinned widely, the normally combative boys sharing a knowing look.

"Don't worry Lucy," Natsu said, his flames roaring to life as he used his magic to dry his clothes. "Knowing Naruto, he's taken care of the guards. We'll head up into the tower, after all Happy and the others are waiting for us!"

Meanwhile, outside

The faint screams of injured men echoed across the island as countless plumes of smoke rose lazily into the night sky. An impassive figure studied the chaos surrounding him, his expression never changing as he strode through the carnage that he had wrought. Piles of defeated men were strewn about the rocky island, their defiant attitudes having quickly crumbled under his intense assault. But all their cries for mercy fell on deaf ears as he defeated them all, even their reinforcements from inside the tower had not been enough to slow the shinobi.

**'Huh, bunch of light weights... I'm kinda disappointed.'** Naruto grunted softly, his eyes continually scanning the area as if he were expecting something, his senses screaming at him that this fight wasn't over.

**'What crawled up your ass and died, you're acting like the Uchiha... oh, oh, I see'em now. Sneaky bastards!'**

Naruto chuckled internally, his body nearly trembling in anticipation of the upcoming battle. If he was right, both of his new opponents were S-class mages, hopefully they could give him a good workout.

'After all, I've got a lot of stress to work off, it's nerve wracking when your girlfriend is kidnapped.' The slightest whisper of wind was Naruto's only warning that the attack had begun, the shinobi deftly sidestepping the thrusting knife aimed at one of his kidneys. Spinning his body around, Naruto's grinning visage locking into the shocked expression of a sharp nosed, blonde haired man. The visor he wore obscured his eyes, but the surprised expression he wore told Naruto all he needed to know. Naruto stepped into the shocked man's guard, his fist racing towards this new foe, but just as Naruto's blow was about to land, his opponent leaped backwards, the shinobi's strike hitting nothing but air. Naruto relaxed as his opponent backed away, his expression clearly communicating disbelief.

"Impossible! I'm the fastest there is, you shouldn't have been able to dodge that! Just who the hell are you?" Naruto smirked at the angry man standing before him, his hand slowly rising as he wagged a finger at the now livid man.

"Now, now, how can you think you're the fastest in the world? I'm the fastest there is, hands down!" Naruto's condescending attitude apparently hit a nerve, the hawk nosed man growling loudly as he raced forward, his dagger flashing out in quick, rapid strikes. Naruto began stepping backwards, his body moving the minimum amount necessary to stay out of the sharp weapons path. The pair raced around the island, their nimble feet sidestepping each and every obstacle in their way, but still the visor wearing man continued to grit his teeth furiously as the battle dragged on.

'Dammit, he's dodging everything I throw at him and STILL managing to navigate this messed up terrain... BACKWARDS! AT FULL SPEED! Shit, I'm gonna have to get 'His' help.' Naruto's eyes narrowed as his opponent began to grin evilly, an obvious sign that he was up to something.

**'Seems like he's gonna swallow his pride and accept his teammates help.'** Naruto grunted internally once more, his senses feeding him information about everything around him as he continued the high speed chase around the island. Several dodges later, a new contact appeared within his sensor ability's range, the new arrival diving towards his unprotected back from above.

"Take this!_ Dokuryū no Tekken!"_ Naruto paused for a moment, his gaze shifting towards the rapidly falling man. Naruto's eyes narrowed at the dark miasma surrounding the newcomer, the name of his attack and clouds surrounding him causing the shinobi to reassess the situation. While Naruto's gaze was focused on the falling man, his other opponent raced forward, a feral grin gracing his features as he took advantage of his target's apparent lack of vigilance. Naruto grunted loudly as the dagger sunk into his body, his hand reaching for the weapon. But it was too late as the falling man landed a powerful blow, the blonde shinobi's body slamming into the ground. Both men stood above the still blonde, the speedster reaching down to pull his weapon from his unmoving body.

"Feh, if that's you at your fastest, then it's a good thing your dead. That was just plain embarrassing."

"Sure it was, if I didn't do it on purpose." Both men paused in surprise, their heads turning towards a large outcropping behind them. Naruto was crouched atop the natural formation, his fox like grin near eclipsing his face as he waved at the pair cheekily. "Both of you aren't that bad, your actually giving me something of a workout. Oh yeah, by the way... _BUSHIN DAIBAKUHA!_" Naruto grinned evilly as both of his opponents were engulfed in his Shadow Clone Explosion, the shinobi snickering softly.

**'Nice, kit'**

'I aim to please.'

Naruto dropped to the ground, the blonde stretching his arms over his head slowly as the smoke from his Explosive clone dissipated, his opponents rising to their feet as they angrily glared at the calm blonde. Naruto noticed that the duo appeared to have been barely damaged by the blast, a grin forming on the shinobi's face. "Well, I can say this, you're both on a completely different level that the rest of those wimpy guards."

The red haired man that had attacked from the sky spat on the ground, his glare focusing on the man before him. "Feh! Comparing us to these losers? They're nothing like us. Oracion Seis is on a completely different level that this pieces of dead weight." Naruto's eyes widened as he whistled in admiration.

"Ooooh, Oracion Seis, huh? Guess I've hit the big leagues now!"

The blonde speedster growled as he tossed the remains of his knife towards the grinning shinobi, his gaze studying the blonde intently as he began to reassess this tricky adversary. "Yes you have, trash. I recognize that symbol, you're from Fairy Tail. Only one member has the combat skills that you've displayed. You're Kage, the Co-Ace of that pathetic group." Naruto spread his arms widely, the shinobi bowing mockingly at the pair of dark mages.

"Very good. From your abilities, I'd have to say that the speed freak there is Racer. And you're attack practically screams, 'I'm a Dragon Slayer!', meaning that you would be Cobra." Both men smirked as they lowered their stances, their eyes focusing their opponent intently.

"Very good." Cobra sneered as a dark miasma wrapped around him once more. "Now that we have the introductions out of the way, lets send you down to hell in style! _Dokuryū Ringa!_"

* * *

And that's all for this round folks! Remember, the more reviews I get, the faster I write! Make a writer happy, review their story! :P


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